Remember to Never Forget
by Lyla Domae
Summary: Lexy and her best friend Chris find a world of faeries and witches. Who can they trust when they find out someone from this world kidnapped Lexy's twin sister four years ago? On hiatus for lack of interest and reviews.
1. The Strange Dream

**Preface**

They say a child's mind may not remember many of their childhood memories even after a few years. They're wrong about me.

They say a child remembers more of the details of their past than average adults, who only end up remembering the main ideas. They're right about that.

When I turned 14 years old, my twin sister—my other half—was taken away from me. Mom and Dad both said she ran away, but I knew the truth. She even left me a note that night—that night we both turned 14.

The note was crude and small. The only words I could make out were:

**_Beware the piksys._**

Who knows, it may not even be hers. Maybe it's just the kidnappers' idea of a sick joke. But that was all I had of her—the note and the memory that I was not always alone. I once did have a shadow, even if it now has disappeared. I still had the memory of my older sister, the other half of my heart, the one who knew me for who I was, not for how others chose to portray me.

Even if she was older than me, she always felt like the younger twin—always being carefree and even had a babyish look about her, with her flowing golden hair, big blue eyes, and constantly rosy cheeks. Meanwhile, I was usually mistaken for the elder—always taking on responsibility and always having a book in hand while Alice was always running off somewhere with her friends.

Now as look back at that night, I ask myself if I could have prevented what happened, if I could have saved her in some way. But no, there couldn't have been a way. If she really was taken by pixies like the note said, I wouldn't have been able to fight them off back then, at 14, when I could barely lift a couple of Alice's shopping bags, let alone take on a bunch of pixies.

No, I couldn't have prevented them from taking her away. But then again, there's always the chance of hope, that'd forgotten something that could have helped me save her. Too bad the memory of that night is forever etched inside my mind—every little detail to it's littlest form, etched in forever.

This is what happened—what I remember at least.

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**Chapter 1:  
A Strange Dream**

It all began with a dream…a dream of riddles and rhymes…but nonetheless, a dream… a dream that changed everything…

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Right before me stood a tall ominous door with a silver knob in the center. After quite a push, I went thru and walked down the dark path ahead. It was so dark that I feared I'd gone down an underground tunnel and it seemed the farther I got from the entrance, the darker the path became.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing all around me. I had stood alone silent for a moment, heart bumping hard, and turned to look behind me. But it was just as dark there and I could hardly see my hand right in front of my eyes. Suddenly, I turned back around. There was a light of some sort coming from the end of the tunnel—a very bright and blazing whiteness that alienly glowed like the sun. A whisper in a sudden breeze around me urged me to go on. I moved on, towards the light, squinting to try and see something or make out any movement.

Then, finally, my feet found their way to a clearing in a forest, as if I had been walking in the midst of the tightness of trees and have just found my way out of the thick maze. The meadow before me was quite large, with wildflowers of all different colors dotting the long grass. Somewhere nearby, I could hear the bubbling of a stream.

I walked slowly, awestruck, thru the soft grass, swaying flowers, and warm gilded air. As far as my eye could reach, it was all the same—level groung; darting tiny figures with yellow, or dragonfly blue, or rainbow plumage; a barren blue sky; and emptiness. Surprisingly, there was not a breath of wind in that cool bright air. It was a very quiet and lonely place. But I had barely a moment to enjoy it before my peaceful state was interrupted.

All of a sudden, shadows started erupting from the ground. They started from behind me, from the tunnel, working their way in. and as they passed by, the once green grass turned to ashes, the lifeless flowers dropped dead to the ground, and quietness overcame the darkened area, not a chirp or twitter to be heard. I turned the other way, away from the darkness, hoping I could find someone else and get help. And just when I was about to give up hope, I looked up and spotted a tiny girl with pale pointy ears and a pair of delicately sparkling pink wings—a girl who could probably have fit in the palm of my hand—lying in one of the faraway trees, beckoning to me in a tiny finger. And who was I to argue?

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me; past the fear struck birds, past the flowers slowly fading away their lives, and past the lonely trees, gradually giving in to the darkness, until I finally reached _her_. And when I did, she did not even comfort me, she just stared a me in those big violet eyes of hers and said,

"the darkness is coming.  
yes, evil is brewing.  
Remember to hold on to your things of value,  
hold them oh, so close to you.  
For we all need your help, and that's no lie.  
For if you don't, they all will die."

Having understood barely a word, I stared in utter confusion at the imposible creature before my eyes.

"But how am I supposed to get out of here? And who are you? And what does that even mean? And—"

But before I could ask another question, she cut me off, saying,

"The darkness will soon be upon you, unless you hurry.  
and it shall overtake you, all in a blurry.  
so if it's back you want to go,  
dive right in the portal of woe."

Again, I looked at her in confusion. But this time, she was pointing behind her into the midst of trees, quickly sprouting to cover—wonder of all wonders—a shimmering portal. As I jumped forward, I heard the girl's whisper in my ear,

"Remember, fair maiden, remember me.  
You're the one who will someday set us all free.  
But if you fail to hold on to your friends,  
then surely, yes, surely, you'll never see your sister again."

With that, the mysterious stranger disappeared from my view and dove into the hole. I quickly followed, allowing the darkness to pull me under.

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**A/N: Remember to review please!!!!!!!!!!  
The sooner the better.**

**PS: I'm sorry if you find any typos but just try to work it out. Either this computer or this network hates me and it just takes words, letters, and even spaces out. So if you find any I'm truly sorry. Just try to make the best of it. And it's okay if you hate it, just remember to actually review if you actually hate it. And if there's the slim chance that you actually liked it, please tell me! Also write if you have any questions if the story's confusing you so far or if you have any suggestions about it. Please review.**

**Arrivaderci, (i don't care if its mispelled!)**

**Lyla.**

**PS: the little winged girl isn't a faerie, she's a will-o'-the-wisp.  
Review please!**


	2. Sometimes Talking Causes Problems

**Chapter 2:  
****Sometimes Talking Causes Problems **

I woke up on that morning to my favorite scent in the world--the smell of my mom's homemade fresh waffles with delicious maple syrup always dripping off the edges. But that wasn't what had woken me up.

The dream I just had was so distinctive that I could have sworn it was real. There was a tiny girl--one that could most likely fit in the palm of my hand--who had tiny, colorful wings and came to me in the forest that was strangely in all of my dreams this past month. The tiny girl didn't speak, but somehow I understood her. She wanted me to know that something terrible was going to happen soon and that I should hold on tightly to all that I hold dear in this world. Then in a fraction of a second, she disappeared, and replacing her and the forest was darkness beyond comprehension. The whole sight left shills in my bones and suddenly I was running as fast as I could, as far away from the darkness that I could possibly get. There were voices whispering all around me, terrifyingly loud and similar to the voices of my mom, dad, my twin sister Alice, grams, gramps, and ones that even I did not know. All these voices drove me further into the darkness where I cried and cried in agony, realizing I could never find my way out. But suddenly, I looked up and saw the tiny girl again, a few feet off. She looked like she wanted me to follow her. And so I did. But I didn't know that she would lead me to a whole where I fell—screaming—into a nothingness that seemed to last for forever. But luckily the beeping of my alarm clock brought me back to reality.

I looked over to my savior, the clown clock at my dresser--which I still haven't found the heart to throw out, since my silly dad got it for me on my 5th birthday--and noticed it was already 10:02 am. And so I bounced out of bed--hurriedly pulling my stringy dark hair back into a ponytail with my favorite rubber-band and stepping into my fluffy, red pair of slippers before bounding down the stairs towards the kitchen. The aura of the food engulfed me as I entered the kitchen and saw my mom in her green robe, already serving some waffles on my empty plate and smiling tiredly at me. It was not only the smell that hit me in force but a headache as well. But who wants to stay in bed sick on the morning of their birthday? I decided to just take a Tylenol after breakfast and enjoy mom's rare homemade waffles.

"Good morning, Alexandra," she said, placing the full plate in front on me.

"'Morning," said I, as I gulped down the first 5 bites, squirting the syrup in my mouth.

Behind me, I heard laughter I would have known anywhere. There stood Alice, my fraternal twin sister, laughing at me while holding her own nearly-empty plate of waffles and strawberries on the side. I rolled my eyes at her raised eyebrow and started with the strawberries on my plate. Mom and Alice were always trying to get me to eat at least one piece of fruit every a day. Well, I wasn't gonna argue about something that goes good with waffles.

I noticed my dad drinking coffee behind his usual copy of _**The New York Times **_and asked, "How come no one woke me earlier. I mean, Comet," this I directed at my mom's golden retriever, Comet, who's been with us ever since he was a little puppy, and who now was lying on the carpet and staring into oblivion. "You of all people should have brought me down here before them so that I could, for one day at least, be the first one up. Supposedly _everybody_ was down here this morning without even calling me down! Mom how could you?" I said, in mock anger.

"Well, I noticed how you were studying for an Algebra test last night--which I frankly don't know why you were cramming for a test that was days away--and so I said to myself this morning, 'Now Clara, it would make no sense in the world to wake up such a beautiful, young girl up so early, depriving her of her beauty sleep. Let her sleep for a couple more hours, for heaven's sake.' Now, it's your fault--if you want to go blaming people--that you went to bed so late last night, Lexy!" She retorted, smiling lovingly, with a hint of sly intentions yet to come.

"Mother, for the last time, it's Alex. Not Alexandera, not 'Dear Dera', not Xandy--maybe Alexa or Lex--but certainly not Lexy! I know that parents can't understand why their children would want to grow up, mom, but I do want to be treated like an adult. And can you at least try? I'm not a little kid anymore."

"Alexandra Josephine Lexington, do not talk to your mother that way! She took a sick day to prepare everything for you and your sister's birthday. And, she woke up exceptionally early, went to the store, and put so much hard work into preparing a lovely breakfast for you and all you can do is complain and ask to be treated like an adult? You want to be treated like an adult, young lady? Fine! Then you better start acting like one!" I cowered in failure while my dad continued one of his never-ending lectures about the future. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice quietly tiptoe up the stairs while dad's back was turned. Oh, this was gonna be a long day. Certainly a birthday to remember. If only I had known how remembered it will be...

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**A/N: Nothin much xept remember to review please. Plus, i'm gonna go on a camping trip soon and i might not be able to write. Or hopefully there'll be connection there. Here's to hoping.**

**Hasta la vista,**

**Lyla.**


	3. A Typical Afternoon

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Chapter 3:

**A Typical Afternoon**

After a few hours, I was sitting in our old tree house dad built us when we were 5. I was rereading _**Pride & Prejudice**_ for the third time, wishing I was Elizabeth, dancing around at the ball in a gorgeous new gown with Mr. Darcy, wondering what he was hiding.

I carefully closed my mother's aging book and picked up another--certainly a less recent one, but still one of my favorites all the same. I looked at the cover, _**The Complete Works of the Brothers Grimm**__. _Certainly not suitable for little children because of all the goriness, but good enough for a curious girl to sneak away from her gram's stuffed library. Of course, she found out eventually after a week, since it was the one she had been reading to Alice and me--behind our parents backs too--but at least she had let me keep it.

Thoughts flying back to the stories within the thick book, I wished that it could really be all that easy. If all I had to do was cry a river to a hazel branch like Cinderella and my wishes would come true, then I would have cried to that branch so hard and every single night until my eyes began to dry up. Or if only I could fall down a well and there a peaceful field of wonder awaited me, like in _**Mother Holle**__. _Oh, all I would give to be in a fairy tale just once and I would be thankful to the world forever. If only I could escape this place, even for an hour! They say it is better to escape a place for an hour than to never be able to escape at all. Oh, if only. Because that's all it'll ever be. A fantasy. If only I knew.

I picked up another one; a copy of _**The Book Thief **_that my reading teacher, Ms. Johnson, gave for me at the end of school in June as a graduation present. I thought back to how Leisel lost Rudy--about true love--knowing I will never have that. Again, I thought about how Leisel gave Rudy a first and last kiss on his cold, dead lips--the kiss he had always kept teasing her about ever since they first met--and how even a kiss couldn't bring him back. I thought about the saying ''to have loved and lost'' which brought on a wave of tears cascading down my cheeks, thinking back to so many losses in both books and reality.

Some people say that the secret ingredient to a good book is sorrow. They are right, even though I hate unhappy endings. It is rare for me to cry on a happy ending, though not so rare for a sorrowful ending. Tears truly are the sign of a good book.

This past school year, our principal arranged for us to go to Washington D.C. to see the Holocaust Museum so that we could imagine what it was like to live in the times when Jews were hated and thought ill of. When we went with our class, I cried along with many others whose grandparents and great grandparents were Jews. When I thought back to how the Jews like poor Max Vandenburg were treated in _**The Book Thief**_, another wave of tears came on along with the deep feeling of hatred for any man who thinks he has the freedom to control people. Oh, how I hated men like that.

But as I thought back to true love, to how it was most definitely rare--probably even scarce--during those malevolent times, I took on a feeling of pity for all the poor souls that died with no love at all, even the love of a friend or a relative, since most families of those times were separated. The Holocaust rarely did give anyone the chance of love. If the bombs were not dropped in Leisel's town, Rudy would still have been alive and they would have had the chance to be together when they grew up. If the bombs were never dropped, even her foster parents would still have lived and loved her as a real family. Oh, how love of all sorts was thwarted by evil men with twisted minds.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up the wooden ladder and quickly hid the book to avoid any teasing from mom. But luckily, it was only Alice, probably there to secretly bring me down to the party. I only had 5 seconds of warning before her face was a mere few inches from mine at the window.

"Hey Lex," she said, swinging one leg in and keeping the other hanging out in the afternoon air. "Mom wanted me to bring you down to talk about what happened this morning. She says she knows you've been avoiding her the whole day and just wants to talk and won't hurt you or anything. Otherwise, she threatens to come up here herself, and we both know she never backs out on a threat. So bring your sorry butt down and don't dare ruin my party--no, no, Lex, I was just kidding! I didn't really mean that! I would never say that to you!" she said, as she noticed the tears escaping my eyes. I had never that good at controlling my emotions, even at 13. If someone yelled at me, I would burst into tears right then and there. Seriously. But as soon as I knew that Alice had noticed me crying from _**The Book Thief**_, I hurriedly wiped away the bitter tears which by now were in my mouth.

"It's nothing, Lishy,"(Alice also had a lot of nicknames around town, since her full name was Aliciana) "I just pricked my finger when I was climbing up on the ladder. It's nothing, really," I said again to reassure her as I turned away to look thru the opposite window. She knew about my emotional problems and she, along with the rest of the town, always wanted to comfort me during those times. Sighing, I risked a quick glance over at her and saw that she was wearing a sly grin.

"Oh, sweetie!" she said in a strangely high soprano voice. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stay _away_ from sharp corners and _dangerous _knick-knacks!"

As hard as I could, I wasn't able to refrain from laughter and the next second, we were both on the floor in fits, tearing up from laughing so hard. While I was the book freak who read ever book there is to read, Alice was the family actress. Her imitations of everybody in the neighborhood were so exact and precise that our school secretary, Ms. Gibbs, actually thought she was mom when she called us both in sick. Of course, we were caught the day after, when Ms. Gibbs called to ask if we were doing okay and mom--as quick minded as she is and never missing a thing--realized that Alice must have "forged her voice" and we earned a week locked up in our rooms after school as well as detention after school for a week. But it was worth it, except that is another story for another day...

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**A/N: Remember to review!**


	4. A Walk in the Park

**Chapter 4:  
A Walk in the Park**

As I sat at our kitchen table and stared out the window, I thought about turning 14 and all the things Alice and I would do when we go to high school that year--since we, by some strange miracle, skipped kinder-garden--how that last year of middle school had been different than the rest, and how high school would be so much more different. I also thought about how I felt that change was coming very soon--sooner than I had expected, I think now as I look back. Little did I know, it was so much more than what I had thought.

Suddenly, I was brought out of my strangled web of thoughts by mom's voice.

"... please take Comet out for a walk for me? He's been getting really lazy without any exercise, seeing as how you've always been practicing that flute at the park and your actress of a sister is always at Drama, rehearsing for a play that never seems to come. Oh, I'm telling you, John, she sure is rehearsing _something _over there and goodness knows what she's gotten herself into with that_ boy_. Plus, who knows what they could be up to this very minute! I don't like our little Alice around that kid anyways. He is _such_ a bad influence..."

Here we go again; the great battle of the parents arguing the case of the big bad _boyfriend_. To avoid the oncoming argument, I quietly slipped out the back door and walked over to Comet.

"Hey boy, are they arguing too loud for you to sleep again? Don't you worry now, I'll take you on a nice long evening walk thru Central Park--you seem to like it there don't you?"

And so, we did. I got his leash from the garage and strapped it firmly to his scarlet collar while thinking to myself, why in the world are we having our September birthday party at night when rain could go off any minute? Now as we walked up the 3 blocks, I heard the distant musical sounds of the orchestra up in the park where surely they were playing for thousands as they usually do every Friday evening.

Crossing the street, I glanced over at the trees and saw how they swayed in the music, as if dancing their own dance of the wind. Walking further thru the grass, I sighed as the wonderful music of the flute reached my ears. _I'll never be able to play that well, even as I practice every day for however long_, I thought to myself. The grasshoppers were chirping their usual songs at this time of year; songs of summer's end and autumn's beginning, the season of apples and the beginning of school.

"You're gonna miss us even more next year, poor boy. Alice will probably be even busier since high school plays are more complicated and longer than what she's used to. And anyways, I'll always be either at school or at Kimmy's house practicing the flute, since I'll be in the high school orchestra next year. You know, the Columbia Grammar and Prep School even does more concerts and the students even get to go on more musical field trips than the middle school we just graduated f--"

Suddenly, I was interrupted by a high pitched giggling and the rustle of leaves coming from somewhere behind me. I glanced back and saw only the bushes. Carefully, and rather slowly, I crept over to see who it was, almost a 100% sure it was Alice playing hide-and-seek again for the 7th time this month. But every time, she escaped before I could catch her. However, as soon as I was about to part the branches, I was interrupted simultaneously by a whisper inside my head and a voice right above me.

"Wotcha doing?" said a voice extremely similar to my sister's. As I turned around and looked up to face the voice--knowing I can't very well investigate the one inside my head--I realized it _was _Alice, with all her golden glory and big blue innocent eyes, swinging her legs in the air and sitting on top of one of the branches of a tree.

"B-but, Alice, it _can't_ be you!"

"Of course it's me, silly. Who else would know where to look for you? You're almost always here when you're not in the old tree house," she replied, wearing a wide grin on her face.

"But y-you were just in the bushes over there, weren't you? How did you get from there to here so fast?" I asked, completely terrified and utterly confused.

"Nooooo." She pronounced the word as if talking to a toddler."Lexy, honey, that wasn't me in the bushes. I think you're hallucinating again. It sure wouldn't be the first time."

"Shut up," I said, annoyed with her yet again. Of course, she's just going to start teasing me anyway.

"Remember when you said you saw a bug running on two legs across our roof? And this morning while we were at Kimmy's when you said there were voices in the driveway? Seriously though, Lex, the look on your face was just HI-larious. Totally! I mean, I know it shouldn't be funny since mom keeps saying it might be a problem or something in your brain--smarty smart nurse that she is--but _I _think that reading so many of those books has finally caught up with you. I mean, seriously, like, how many times does an actual person jump, like, a mile every time someone comes in the room? Huh, Lex? And anyways--"

"Alice," I said, trying to get her to at least stop babbling. "Don't you have to go meet Marco somewhere before curfew to get a milkshake or something?" _Please, please, please let her just forget about this conversation,_ I thought.

"Oh, yeah! Thanks, Lex. Later!" she cried as she half climbed down/ half jumped off the branch and ran off, hopefully to where Marco will keep her too busy to following me again. Thank you, God, for cute, hard-to-say-'no'-to boyfriends. When Alice starts with her rambling, she refuses to be the one to walk away or end the conversation for at least 10 minutes, so it's basically a miracle that she actually forgot about that for once. But now that I'm alone again, the voices inside my head have altogether disappeared except for a faint whisper…

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**A/N: LOL, it's so funy that...NONE OF YOU ARE REVIEWING! Really funny!**

**Anyways, I gotta go. **

**REVIEW! she says in a mysterious voice, fading into the distance with each note of its repetitiveness. REVIEW, goes that wavering voice mysteriously as the camera dramatically closes up on the one word. REVIEW................**

**Nothing against you, of course.**

**Hasta la bye-bye!**


	5. Party Trouble

**Chapter 5:  
What Happened at the Party**

As I turned around at the corner of our street, I heard the loud music of the party booming from the direction of our house. After a few seconds, I was closing the latch on the rusty gate, hoping to quietly sneak towards the back yard unnoticed. Unfortunately, today was certainly not my lucky day.

"Yo, Lexa!" _Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no, oh, no! Please, God, no! _I turned around and there stood my worst nightmare, Chris Cadenza. He was the all-star baseball player of Westbridge Middle School, Marco's best friend since pre-k, my classmate in Algebra, and the guy that I was secretly crushing on for the past 3 years.

I hesitantly walked over and couldn't help check him out. A little under six feet tall, chin-length straight ash black hair that glistening in the lights, broad shoulders hunched, one hand in pocket and one holding his punch. There was the very faint sign of a light mustache, of course, which barely showed on top of his soft perfect skin. He had a plain faded navy T-shirt with a slightly frayed collar. Old skinny jeans, with patches almost collapsing into holes, were worn over a scuffed pair of black chucks. _Oh, I'm gonna kill that Alice. This was supposed to be a party for close friends only!_

You see, I'd been happily and _secretly_ crushing on Chris for the last year from across the classroom and now Alice thought she could just help me out and invite him to our birthday party. _Oh, she's gonna pay, alright_.

"So how's it been goin' with you? I heard you and your sister are both going to CGP too. D' your dad decide on that?" He asked curiously, looking up from his punch. Large and mesmerizing dark blue eyes pierced me in a second.

_Damn it!_ I cursed myself inwardly for staring too long, which he obviously must have noticed.

"Uh, yeah." _Idiot. He must have noticed my obviously late answer_, I thought to myself, blushing fiercely. "What are you doing here, anyways?" _Great, now he must think I don't want him here._

"Alice came over this afternoon to Marco's and invited us both."

Oh, yeah. That makes sense. He's Marco's best friend, so obviously he'd be here if Alice had invited her boyfriend. On the bright side, at least he cares enough to know that we'd both be going to CGP together this month. Anyways…

"_And_ it was the only party happening around these parts before school starts again. So, I guess that's why more people've shown up than you expected, huh?"

He chuckled softly when I looked around, confusedly, at the many people that I'd only ever seen in the hallways at school and some I hadn't ever seen before—which made some part inside me just die.

"So, what've you been up to all this time? No one's seen you since June except for your sister, who said you barely got out of the house except for band camp—where I've only seen you in the hallways and in the corner somewhere. But seriously though, you play that flute really well! You should study to be a professional musician at college or something."

"I don't play that well," I said shyly, yet, simultaneously wondering if he had looked for me over summer break and if he's wondering if we'd go to the same college together._ He's probably continue on being a drummer for his band with Marco (lead guitar) and their friends Kevin (base guitar) and Nick (keyboard) who were probably here too, come to think of it._

"Sure you do, admit it," he teased, nudging me softly with his elbow. After a few minutes, we started getting along pretty well without all the nervousness and, suddenly, right when we were finally able to carry on a normal conversation, _someone_—stupid Kevin—had to interrupt.

"Yo, Chris, you gotta come see this, man! Some kid thought he could chug down 2 gallons of punch and chow down a full chocolate cake at the same time and not puke! Me and Nick bet if he would end up in a pile of upchuck or not. Whaddya say? You gotta see this guy!" Kevin obviously thought the music wasn't loud enough to drown everybody's conversations that he had to shout over from only a few feet away.

"Oh, man! Sorry, Lexa. You comin'?" he asked with those hopeful dark eyes. And who could resist that?

"Sure—" But I barely got another word in before a wide grin lit up his entire face. As we walked over towards the back—where apparently the poor kid was barely able to refrain from puking—mom pulled me away thru the back door toward the kitchen.

"Thank goodness I've found you, Lexy! You would not believe it; I can't find your sister anywhere! I haven't seen her since she came back at 6. Do you have any idea where she could be? I've checked everywhere!" she said, all in one breath.

"Mom, calm down for a sec. I'm sure she's just fine. Did you check her cell or call Kim's or Ronnie's?" I asked; making sure she didn't just miss her in the house.

"Of course, I checked! I even called at that boy, Marco's, house but apparently, his mom said he was here. And some of her things aren't even in her room!" _Well, that was strange_, I thought. But I had other things to worry about than playing Sherlock Holmes because, by this time, she was ignoring my calming techniques and was starting to hyperventilate.

"Mom, it's okay, she's probably just fine. I'll take a couple of friends and go check around, if that's okay with you." Glancing at her vigorously nodding head, I ran out the back door, heading toward the cluster of guys over at the punch table.

"Um, hey, Chris, mom just told me that Alice is missing. She's been missing since this afternoon. Do you think—"

"…that me and the guys could help look for her? Sure, I'd love to help!"

"Great! She's probably just pulling a joke, but it doesn't usually last this long. Mom said she hasn't seen her since 3 hours ago."

"Maybe she's just getting a snack at the store or something, but I better tell Marco. He said he just broke up with her at the ice-cream parlor—you know the whole, 'I don't think this is working out, but can we still be friends?' thing. And he's been looking for her too, hoping she didn't take it too badly." _Poor Alice, she must be devastated, _I thought._ She and Marco were such a good couple_. "He said he hasn't seen her since this afternoon either. I'll go ask the guys to help. Come on, let's go."

And so he pulled me along across the yard. He held my hand tight and the way he did made me feel protected, somehow. His hand felt warm and gentle, and when his arm softly touched mines, when our arms bumped against each other, it sent goose bumps down my arm. I smiled, thinking_, When all this is over and we find Alice, I'll owe her one._

When we finally finished explaining everything, there was total of 8 other guys and girls that volunteered to go look for Alice. The redhead twins—Fawn and Dawn—went to check at the mall; Marco, Nick, and Kevin went over to the main café—Alice's favorite hangout; Gina, Eric, and Lacy went to check the main hospitals to see if Alice got in an accident, and Chris and I went around the neighborhood, looking and asking for her.

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**A/N: I just got Michael Buckley's new book that I've been looking forward to reading for the past year so I probably won't mind if you don't review for...a day. That's it. Better Review! Plus, write if you have any question if the story's too confusing so far and I'll elaborate. JUST PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!! **

**Au revoir, mes amis/amies!**


	6. Scream HELP When You Need It

**Chapter 6:  
Scream **_**Help!**_** When You Need It **

After making a few rounds and even checking some adjacent blocks and neighborhoods, Chris and I went back to the party to meet the others and see if they've had any luck. Eric said Lacy and Gina went back home, the twins didn't have much luck, and the three musketeers weren't back yet. After looking over at the remaining partiers sitting at the benches in our big yard, drinking more punch—served by my quite flustered mom—and playing cards, I decided I had nothing to do and turned from my slow swing over to Chris, who was murmuring with one of his band fiends.

"Hey, Chris, is it fine if I go and check inside?" I don't know why it felt like had to check with him first. Maybe it was the way he looked at me, in those adorable eyes of his. Or the way he never let me leave his sight. Like he was protecting me.

"Sure. I'll even join you in a bit," he said, giving me one of his warm, crooked smiles.

I turned inside, and after looking around the kitchen and the quite comfortable library and dining room, I headed up the creaking stairs, looking around as I went. _Where in the world could she be?_ I asked myself. Suddenly, I heard a sort of murmering sound coming from Alice's bedroom. As I made my way there, I eavesdropped along the way. Hearing voices, I slowed down, hoping not to miss what they had to say. I was expecting Alice to be calming herself and hiding away after her break-up with Marco, but what a shock I got.

"…come with us and we'll show you what life really is. No men to disrespect you and treat you like dirt. No overprotective parents. No one who misunderstands you and take you for granted. Where we come from, you will be worshipped among the people; you will be a queen. Come with usssss…" It was a male voice, low and rough, one quite unfamiliar. _Who in the world __is__ that?_

"I don't know. It does sound good, I can tell you." That must be Alice.

"Then come with usssss…" _Where?_

"Where?" Wow, gotta love twin telepathy.

"A place where all your dreams and deepest desires come true. A place of wonders and adventure and real romance. A place in a world called PhaerieLand…" _What?!_

"Sniff, sniff." _So she __was__ crying_. "If you say it's better than this place. But what about Lexy? What'll happen if I leave her?" _Good question._

"Ah, yes, your sister, Alexandra. Where is she now, do you know?" _How in the world did hat strange man know about me?_

"She's probably still looking for me with the rest of our 'so called' friends. Why?" Just then there was a quiet murmuring, as if the other people in the room were conversing amongst themselves.

"Never mind that, my lady. We won't have enough time for her, _however valuable yet still insufferable she may be_."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, my dear. We must be going now, that is what matters. I assure you, the place we're going will be one beyond your wildest dreams and everyone will do as you say; not one will mistreat you, for you shall be the queen. For we need a new queen, my liege. The whole land's been brewing with havoc. We need you so much, my lady, that you couldn't imagine. You're the only one who can help us and save us. Now, are you coming, my dear?" _A bit desperate, don't you think?_

"Well, if I can come back someday. I mean, of course, I want to get away from here after all that's happened. And I could just imagine being treated like I'm the one who's actually in charge, for once. But I can't just leave Lexy behind. And what'll she do without me? How's she gonna survive high school?" _Yeah!_

"Don't worry, mistress. She'll come when her time comes. Soon, she will realize that we are in the right and all the people will want you to serve as their queen and will bow down before your grace. We—forgive me, that is to say, _you_—will rule all. And your sister will be fine, trust us." _Is he serious?!_

"Well, if you say so, then I'm in." _What, no!_

"Great! Then, let's hurry along now. The portal will close up soon. And we don't want to get trapped here forever, do we?" _What portal?! _

"Of course not! I can't just stay here! I need a life!" _Well, stay and you'll have one!_

"Good! Now, Blackhoof, draw up the portal of woe, you excruciating twit! We must hurry or we will not succeed!" _Succeed with what, kidnapping an innocent girl?!_

There were twinkling sounds now, coming from inside the room and then, it sounded like the strangers were encouraging Alice into the portal with their scruffy voices._ How in the world could she leave us and just go running off with out-of-the-blue strangers?_ And suddenly, I felt an overpowering force fling me inside and I collided with the leader of the kidnappers.

"You intolerable twit, don't you know never to get in on things that are none of your business? Get away from here you wench!"

Since Alice was already thru the portal with the others, she probably couldn't have heard or even cared that the leader, who was quite big, to tell you the truth, gave me a blow that sent me straight to the other end of the room, right next to Alice's rosy, over-fluffed bed. He probably would have finished me off right then and there if, right when I fell, someone else had not barged in thru the door.

Then, behind me, I heard the sounds of fighting. _Why in the world would they be fighting now,_ I thought. _And who did the great and mighty leader decide was worthy enough to actually fight and not run away from? And_—but the throbbing in my head from the blow prevented me from completing my thoughts.

After a while, the shimmering from the strange portal stopped and suddenly, a pair of arms were wrapped around me and a voice in my ear was whispering, "It's gonna be okay now; don't worry. Everything'll be fine. It's okay. Cry all you want." And at the mention, a great wave of tears flew down my cheeks and I cuddled against my guardian angel. _What's gonna happen now? What're mom and dad gonna say? Wh_—But now is time for rest, time to put away all feelings and just succumb to tears to the person holding me tightly, my protector, with his heavenly blue eyes and sad crooked smile, telling me everything's gonna be okay…

*******

* * *

**A/N: So, whaddya think? Weird so far, huh? Thought so. Anyways, just remember to review and I'll get back to you...or not. But hey, if you review, I can 100% garantee that you'll get a shout-out on my next chapter which probably won't come until later cuz I'm still working on it. Plus, I'm going on vacation soon so it'll probably take longer to update.**

**BTW, if you didn't already figure it out, this is the end of part 1 and the next time I update, it'll be part 2, about when Alexa finally makes it to high scool. There, trust me, it'll get more fairy-tale-ish if it's not looking like it so far. Plus, it'll be three years later, so brace yourselves.**

**PS: I'm probably gonna cancel writing this story if I don't get at least 5 reviews by the end of this month! SO REVIEW!**

**But for now, I'd like to thank** **Hazelcloud**** for sending me my first review ever. Thanx so much! It's nice to know that there are actual people out there who actually read my story. Thanx sooooo much. Luv ya (no homo).**


	7. Bus Rides Can Be Long

**Chapter 7:  
Bus Rides Can Be Long**

_I walk down the dark halls, shivering with each step I take._

_And with each step, a sudden thud goes thru my heart._

_Down the dark and lonely path I go, weeping with loathsome, stacked-up force._

_Bottled up hate erupts and tears cascade out my heart._

_Darkness beckons and I unconditionally oblige._

_Who am I to refuse?_

_Too much sadness, too much feeling._

_I can no longer survive on the hope that every thing will someday change back._

_No more, please, no more._

_This never-ending wait will no longer do._

_I trudge on, thru the shadows, lost in the obscurity of night._

_Alone, once again…_

*** * ***

Again, I wake up from a dreamless night. Ever since _she _disappeared, mom's found it necessary for me to drink a special tonic prescribed by her "friend" Dr. Albright in order to prevent my subconscious from haunting me every night. _Yeah, right. Like she would care what I dream._

After a good scrubbing, I quietly get dressed and chance a look in the door length mirror.

Before me, I see a pale girl with long black hair with blood red highlights growing out her scalp. The only visible insipid blue eye peaks out from long bangs which cover half of her face and a straight and narrow nose--with a subtle silver stud in the right nostril--leads down to the girl's petite, expressionless mouth. A plain faded old grey t-shirt is seen beneath a navy jacket--with pulled up sleeves--and a silver chain with a black rose hanging on the end; her mother's locket. She gave it to her on that terrible night so long ago. Many rings and bracelets crowd her pale arms, scrawny as they seem. A long pair of black skinny jeans that have multiple little holes in them run down her legs, hugging her scrawny thighs tightly. From the top of her head and down to her worn out pair of chucks, she certainly looks a sight for weary eyes. What happened, you may ask. _They_ did.

Down the stairs and thru the door, I hoist my already packed 40 pound suitcase up and trudge on towards the bus stop. No longer do I eat anymore. No longer do I think. I cannot. You may question the reason behind my new way of speech and thought. Well, I've become too absorbed in the world of books so as not to face reality that I've changed reality in many a way.

I look up at the colorless sky, dark as my heart, and catch the sound of a quiet morning. No birds dare show their wings on a day like this. The barren sky itself laughs at the thought. They would just fall to the ground like all the others. I cherish the thought. The faint sound of kids' laughter arises as the bus pulls up and the driver opens the door.

As I hoist the heavy bag up the small steps and down the aisle, I block out the stares and whispers that follow me. I can't believe they're still circulating around the school these past 3 years.

"_Hey, look. It's Alexa."_

"_Decided to show up, has she?"_

"_They say her sister killed herself."_

_"Well, I heard her sister ran off with her boyfriend— you know, that basketball player, Marco. No one's seen much of him since then."_

"_How romantic."_

"_Not really."_

"_Well, I heard Alexa cuts herself, like, every night."_

I chuckled at that. At least they got one right. I scanned the rows until I found who I was looking for. I decisively walked over to the sleepy eyed boy with the crooked smile, indicating for me to come over. Yes, Chris and I have remained in contact. Unfortunately, he still thinks of me as the younger sister he never had. At least I have one person to look up to.

As I take my seat next to him, he leans forward and put an arm around me, giving me tight and warm embrace. And how can I be ungrateful? At least he of all people doesn't run away from me.

"Hey," he whispers. "How've you been?"

"Okay. A little irritated at the never-ending rumors. Not to mention still barely recovering from the incident of a full three years ago. But hey, who's perfect?" I added with a slight smile, tears threatening to break out. "But enough about me. How've you been doing?"

With a small sad smile of his own, he tells me about his summer in Venice on his yearly vacation with his filthy rich parents.

They offered me a quite generous spot on their trip at the end of junior year but my parents—as much filled with ego and pride as ever—forced me to decline, saying I had to catch up in school for the third summer in a row.

And so I spent the summer working at the nearest Wal-Mart to pay for the usual essentials—cell-phone bills, car gas, new clothes, books for school, books of interest, and half the cost of my yearly tuition at Band Camp that they force me to pay so I can learn that not everything is free in life. Plus, I've had to spend this whole summer all alone.

You see, the twins moved to Massachusetts after the incident along with their cousins, who were also close friends of mines. Kim also moved, since last year, but to another continent completely on the other side of the world. Her parents were nature photographers and couldn't stay too long in one place. It was a surprise that they were able to stay here for a few years. Now they're in Africa shooting pictures of running cheetahs and nesting birds.

Lacey's parents decided she'd do better in a public school, which wasn't really a logical excuse, seeing as how private schools are the more likely result in a better education. Plus, everyone knew—or gossiped is more like it—that they hated my whole family after the rumors started going around that Alice committed suicide. And then Georgie's been way too involved in running Student Council and leading her school's field hockey team thru all their victories to even bother texting or dropping by to visit here at Thorton. And dare I even mention the guys?

*** * ***

We start boarding on the scheduled plane to Saco, Maine, suitcases and duffel bags in hand.

After a few more minutes we are strapped in our seats and yes, Chris and I are seated side by side, as pre-arranged; me looking out the window while holding his hand tightly, screaming in my head and praying take-off wouldn't take long.

And suddenly, after the very loud announcement of seat-belt buckles, the plane is starting to lift off the terribly long runway, which starts to make me sick—as it always does—and so I take a look inside at some kid's poster he probably hung up to have a little bit of home to remind him of. Although that's sweet, the poster has bloody guts screaming for the looker to look away. Plus, a rather blond attendant glares daggers at me to stay in my seat facing ahead and _not_ the opposite way.

_Oh, well; I was gonna look back ahead anyway. Did you even see that poster? What would your pilot say about that?_

Settling back next to Chris, I look outside the window at my right once again, for we've already passed the worst part.

Outside, we pass over a clanking metal bridge far below and there are motorcars in the water even farther down. I see the tranquil waves of the pond calmly wash over the rocks and small moss covered boulders in the middle of the river we fly over. Above, the sky mixes with deep indigo and sky blue with slightly swaying clouds in the distant. However, the scene below vaguely reminds me of a game that Alice and I used to play when we were still old enough to think life was full of adventures and mysteries undiscovered.

We used to pretend we were pioneers. We would walk up into the very deep part of the woods where there was nothing, nothing to remind us of reality. There was a mossy, stone wall meandering around the trees and along the hills' edges. Long ago, someone had built that wall, stone by stone, like the workers of Stonehenge. Alice and I used to walk for miles like that, pretending we lived a hundred years ago. Still playing. Pretending.

We didn't play like the boys in our neighborhood did, always running around and chasing each other while making shooting noises. The way we played was more like just walking, talking, and making up our own adventures from the things we saw all around us. But when the weather was too cold outside, or raining, or if we were just bored with the outdoors, we played Little People.

We played Little People with armless, legless Fisher-Price toys; miniature figures; even those plastic trolls with the big ears, the flaming, different colored hair, and bulging eyes. We played with anything and everything we had—blocks and books, shoe boxes, toy cars, pillows, grams' straw baskets, dad's pens, mom's pots and pans, and even Comet's food and water bowls.

We played until playing became as real as real can be. And better yet, no one ever knew about our secret magical little world. When Alice and I played Little People the whole world would disappear. We would shrink smaller and smaller until all I could remember of our game were the many families and their houses and cars, but not our big hands moving them all around.

Everyone had a family and they all stayed together. We would always take turns choosing our characters for the day of course.

There was Fairy Girl—my favorite, mainly because she looked pretty with her Tinkerbell outfit and sparkly wings and had a kind of gleam in her plastic purple eyes. She was actually a present from mom on our 5th birthday. She had given me Fairy Girl and bought a tutu for Alice since she was into ballet at that time.

But other times we chose the more worn out ones, the ones we considered warm, because they were in our family longer, the ones who were no longer happy and looked depressed.

The red haired Cowboy was one of them, the one with the freckles, who had one leg broken off, and was always one of the first picked. So was the too-long-in-the-bathtub mom who had lost most of her painted-on face and the shiny, now-not-so-shiny doctor that Comet had decided was his new favorite chew toy.

The whole thing mostly makes me feel empty inside and so I cogently force myself to look away. But after a few glares from a handful of conspicuous students, I forced myself to stare right back at them. But then my eyes somehow find their way back outside and I find myself getting hypnotised with the sudden darkness outside.**(A/N: I know it doesn't make much sense but just go with the flow, my friend.)**

_How long have I been daydreaming?_

But I have no time for thoughts as both my body and eyelids feel suddenly heavy and my eyes flutter a bit before clamping firmly shut allowing me to get lost inside my mind and find dreams of peacefulness without judgements.

*** * ***

We were just pulling into the gates of Thorton Academy.

_Wait, gates?_ What happened to the airport?

I look to my left and see Chris smiling softly right back.

_Oh!_I instantly recall brief flashes of the past day. Chris's voice pulling me thru the crowds; dizzily drowsing before succumbing to a deep slumber; the feeling of being carried along to a bus waiting for more than a dozen students sleepily dragging themselves along; colliding down on a seat next to Chris as he places our bags up in the compartment above.

As I was saying, we are now pulling up at the gates of our new address for the next 9 months.

There were gigantic, old trees outlining the long entrance, branches bending, leading the way to the big, dark building ahead.

The bus staggers to a stop and before the bus driver could say a thing, everyone is standing up in the aisle and heading forwards all at once. Naturally, Chris and I are pushed to the back as everyone exits their insufferable prison for the past 2 hours and run forward. At last, we make our way out and are immediately greeted by the extremely perky cheerleaders welcoming this year's new batch of freshmen and other late-comers.

_"2…4…6…8...Hurry newbies, don't be late!_

_"3…5…7…9…Busted! Here comes Mr. Kline!"_

I laugh inwardly as their attempted warnings end in failure as the fuming teacher catches the newcomers by their collars and pulls them down as they stood at the school's statue making rude finger gestures at passersby. Detention at the first day. Imagine that. Of course, the same thing happened to me on my first year, except not in the same way as those unfortunate young souls.

As the rest of the students went off to meet their friends from the previous years, Chris pulled me aside next to the flagpole.

At first, he started to stare deeply in my eyes, piercing my cerulean eyes with his pale blue ones, and I could almost swear it's as if he can see my deepest inner thoughts with that look.

Then he finally takes in a deep breath, looking at me sincerely, and begins to talk for the first time since the bus ride...

*** * ***

* * *

**A/N: So whaddya think about part two? Please, why don't you read and review? (OMG, rhymes!)**

**Anyways,**** I'd like to thank** **Hazelcloud****for sending me my first review ever. Thanx so much! It's nice to know that there are people out there who actually read my story. Also, thanx to longhairedhorse for appreciating my plot and even reviewing! It means a lot to me that you guys actually took the time to tell me what you think. **

**By the way, just for the record (what a silly expression; what record?) the writing in this chapter changed from past tense to present cuz before, Alexa was telling the story of how her sister disappeared but now the story's caught up to her present tense self. **

**I'm sorry if it was confusing for you to read or anything. Plus, sorry about the whole 1st person POV to 3rd then back to 1st in the second paragraph. Again, I apologize. The whole story does get kinda confusing at times. **

******Anyways, I'll try to update soon if I somehow get any ideas on my own or somewhere else. Promise.**

**5-28-09:**

**So I guess you figured out that I changed a few bits and pieces. Did you like it?**

**Read and Review, please!**

**Ba-Bye!**

**Lyla.  
**


	8. Typical Boys

**Chapter 8:  
Typical Boys**

After a while, we arrive at our destination; Thorton Academy Boarding School of Saco, Maine. As soon as we've exited the big tumbling bus, Chris pulled me aside next to the flagpole.

He starts to stare deeply in my eyes, piercing my cerulean eyes with his pale blue ones, and I could almost swear it's as if he can see my deepest inner thoughts with that look. Then he finally takes in a deep breath while looking at me sincerely, and begins to talk for the first time since the bus ride.

*** * ***

I turn the rusty door knob and tiredly enter the deeply lavender colored room.

But not only is it filled with plum, royal purple, and violet, it even smells of the lavender perfume that my one of my crazy roommates most likely sprayed the whole room with.

Other than the whole outburst of color, I see the far window up ahead overlooking the many acres of green grass where a dozen freshmen are already out throwing around an old football, no doubt playing rather than practicing for the tryouts this year.

I walk over to the single bed separate from the two mahogany wood bunk-beds, the one in the middle of the room on the thick carpet in front of the window, and collapse on the neatly made--yes, violet--covers.

Across from me, the lower of the two bunks-beds peeks at me from hundreds of thick books; Shakespeare's full works, a _**Wuthering Heights **_paperback copy, three fairly large textbook on Algebra, Calculus, and Geometry, another paperback labeled _**Architect's Companion**_, a dozen different sports magazines, a big Physics' textbook along with a surprisingly thin Chemistry book, two fancy scientific calculators, billions of writing utensils overflowing out of the worn-out magenta pencil case, and a few other things.

I look away with disgust from the mere scene of all the shades of that disgraceful color packed on that single bed with all the little lavender sheets with the little white flowers embroidered all over.

You see, here at this boarding school, the School Board decided to organise floors of dormitories by colors.

As you can probably guess, our floor's color is purple. And unfortunately, our uniforms are supposed to include our color in some accessorised way and I thank goodness every year that I was able to pass by with a thick but simple eggplant-colored headband and a pair of matching long socks for cold days.

Other than that, I had to wear the usual checkered black-n-white shirt with the white blazer and optional black vest along with the not-so-optional black shoes with the oh-so-lame buckles.

Looking out the window, I wonder how fast or slow this year will choose to go by and thank the heavens once again that my parents let me go so far away from my problems and offered to pay for my time here at this lame yet fairly distracting boarding school.

After what happened those many moons ago, I begged them to let me go elsewhere, at least somewhere far from here, for I couldn't bear going to the school that Alice and I were supposed to go to together, no less study for together.

Plus, I couldn't live in a place that would haunt me forever with the mere memory of us playing hopscotch or exploring the woods.

I even forced mom to throw away the toys that we used to play Little People with so long ago. Then I snuck out one stolen night and burned them all to cinder, for I couldn't stand one more day with Fairy Girl staring at me with those hopeless eyes or with the cowboy looking at me with murderous disgust.

You may think I imagined it all, but to me, they were Alice and my friends, ones we used to live thru, ones we used to make up lives for to escape reality, and I just couldn't face them with them knowing it was my fault she disappeared.

Suddenly, my thoughts are pushed to an instant stop as a knock is sounded at the door before a head appeared from the hall.

"Hey, Lex, didn't know you were already here!"

I look towards the sound and find a girl with striking green eyes, tiny freckles dotting her rosy cheeks, and bushy auburn hair marching thru the room and start shuffling thru all the chaos on the bottom bunk-bed.

"I came early and already unpacked so that you could chilax in peace," the girl said, gesturing to her empty suitcase on the floor and already full drawers.

"I just gotta get my sports magazines off Jessi's bed or she'll freak! Don't worry; I'll be out of your hair in a sec; I just need a few things from my closet," she said, moving on and starting to look thru her pale-lavender closet for a hat to prevent more freckles, no doubt.

"Oh, and Mrs. Mackorey told me to find you. She said you need to go to the main office to get your schedule for this year. So you can do that, or we could go meet Jessi down to the café and flirt with some new seniors... JK," she added with a smile.

Samantha O' Connor--gymnast, field hockey player, basketball champ, volleyball captain, and has been a swimmer in the sea ever since the vulnerable age of three--is tall and fragile-looking, like her bones might break if she bent the wrong way. But in reality, she's as fragile as a pit bull terrier, wrestling since she was a mere toddler with her 4 older step-brothers in order to survive with all the bullying. She's always perky and almost nothing can cut down her constant happiness.

In all my years with her, I've noticed that Sam can get quite excitable. She even describes herself as a passionate person, but Jessica Thomas--our other roommate--says Samantha O'Connor is just your average manic with a dash of bipolar tendencies.

It's true that Sam is either desperately happy or is suffering from OJD (Obsessive Joy Disorder) but I don't think she's any different from the other girls I've seen at Westbridge back home. She's also quite pretty with her amazing hair--as teachers say--if not so bland, and has attracted quite a few boyfriends in her years, as she brags, though she's also told us she had to break up with most because of her father's on-going coaching and training, wanting her to win no matter what it takes and driving her into insanity, if I say so myself.

She and Jessica Thomson--an absolute neat-freak, hoping to study the wonderful and exciting ancient art of Architects (note the sarcasm), and one of the most gorgeous girl to ever step foot on this campus or quite possibly even this country--have been my roommates for my past 3 years at Thorton.

You see, we all met at a gathering for an Orphan Awareness Campaign at the beginning of my first year here that that stupid too-convincing-for-his-own-good Chris made me attend; probably one of his stunts to get me out and about again, thinking that somehow orphan pity would do the trick.

Well, Jessi is an orphan, so you see the connection there. She and Sam were best friends and they were there together, serving cookies, and they--by some strange coincidence of the universe--also thought the whole thing was pretty lame.

And so we bonded; me telling them about Alice, Jessi telling me about her parents dyeing in a car accident then her falling in a coma for a whole year then waking up with no memory, which she eventually regained before coming here, and Sam telling me about her running away from her horrible step-brothers in Colorado. And we've been sharing homework assignments ever since.

Alas, yes; 'tis true. I finally made two real friends without my life was on the line. We only got as far as acquaintances the first year though, but later on, they started getting to me after I realized I needed some girl friends.

You see, the only real friend I kept my first year here is Chris, bless his soul. And I was in bad need of a female friend. Not that Chris was a bad friend or anything; it's just that I needed a little girl time, sometimes. And I couldn't really call my mom over for a chat now, could I?

And so we started copying homework, sharing notes, helping each other when we're sick, and giving sisterly advice here and there that I couldn't get without a real sister.

I look over to Sam's bedside dresser and see a framed photo of all three of us at the Spinner's End Café, laughing like a never-ending circle.

I was sitting in the middle of the picture, trying to keep the decaf in my cup from spilling all over my new jeans while laughing like the embarrassing hyena that I was. Jessi was at my left, flushed like a tomato with her golden wavy hair cascading down her creamy-white turtleneck and giggling after just making out with Robert Millings--hottie of the year. And somehow, Sam ended up at my right, gauffing at the hilarious aspect of the whole thing in one of the café's green aprons with coffee stains on the side.

All of us were in our own different worlds, yet all while in uncontrollable filts of laughter.

The cause of our laughter was, undoubtably, the hilarious scene of Mike, the owner's poor son, who was called down to help with the coffee cake, running at an impeccably fast rate down the stairs then tripping on an abandoned shoe which caused him to go down rolling and tumbeling down then landing in the pie cart and you can probably guess what happened next. Even though it may not have been that funny, we were all too drunk to notice. Plus, beer and coffee do not make a good combination in one night.

But, along with all the fun times I've had, being part of the three musketeers and looking up to Chris, there have been bad times too; times I think of Alice and where we would be if she was still in all our lives, times when I cry to the world and wonder what in the universe did I do wrong to deserve such a horrible punishment, alone on stormy nights, shivering and whimpering in my bed.

Sometime when I was daydreaming, Sam must have quietly slipped out, for when I look all around once again, I see an empty room with empty beds and only me to fill the silence the second time in three long years.

Oh, well, I sigh again as I lie back down on my over-fluffed bed. I ponder thoughts of darkness and shadows, whispers of secrets of the unknown down the abyss.

How many times a day do I have to suffer with what _she_ did to me? When will I ever see the light of day again?

*** * ***

"_Attention, students. Today is your first day back. I will expect you to remain on your best behavior on your last year here at Thorton Academy. You will be graduates as of next year and I expect your best work in your choice of college by then. But for now, you must know that the same rules that apply to all the other students apply to you also. So don't expect to be treated any differently in matters regarding everyday discipline! Also—" _

But it's too much; I can't listen to any of this crap anymore. I just can't take it. And so I turn up my hidden mp3 on _Face Down_ by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and tune out all our beloved dean has to say for the rest of the seniors' morning assembly…

After a few minutes of a drowsy state, I feel a nudge to my left rib.

"I'd put that away if I were you," said a rough voice at my shoulder.

I would recognize that voice anywhere, equivalent to my own heartbeat. I looked up and there sat Chris, grinning like a maniac.

His voice had definitely deepened since we moved up to high school. Strange that the change only happens for guys, but fitting for a handsome guy with a smile's crookedness.

"Why is that? And what are you so happy about?" I ask, a bit too curious for my own liking, as always when I'm around him.

"Well, to your first question, madam," he began, with quite a cheesy British accent, "I say it's best to put your silly contraption away/ because the headmistress is looking this way."

"Would you stop with the whole British poetry?"

"Au contraire, my lady. So as I was saying, the reason behind my great amusement is the fact that in exactly…10 seconds this whole auditorium will explode with laughter, along with yours truly," said he with a wiggle to his brows. "5…4…3…2…"

And suddenly, a gigantic fart sounded out of the unsuspecting dean's chair. And, as predicted by Chris, the whole place went up in laughter, ranging from snickers to chortles all around the room.

Another day, another prank.

Typical boys.

But still loved amongst many; mainly the idol of my heart.

Too bad there's no chance.

*******

* * *

**A/N: Sooooooooooooo, whadya think?!**

**Don't forget to review and tell me if you liked it or hated it or simply if you want to accuse me of plagiarism ( I get that a lot cuz I tend to do just that at times, so feel free to do so in a PM/review.)**

**Also, I'm changing the place from PhaeryLand to simply Faerie. Yes, that you can sue me for plagiarizing. JK. It means 'Just Kidding' for those iggy ignorants out there. JK.**

**Anyways, I'm feeling bored right now.**

**I'm not much of a fan of this chapter but I just had to post it cuz it explains all about Alexa's friends and such, including my favorite song (Face Down by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus). Review and tell me if I wrote that incorrectly. Please!**

**Oh, BTW, I just got a GREAT idea of what I'm gonna write about next. I owe HazleCloud(sorry if I misspelled it) HUGE thanx cuzyou gave me an absolutely fantastically GREAT idea. Can't explain how, but your PM REALLY helped. Thanx sooo sooo much.**

**Oh, and to make this more interesting, the ones who review and tell me what they think of this chapter or even just write to say hi and stuff, I'll send you a message that includes a hint of what my great idea is. Or maybe not, if no one reviews. I know I'm being kinda greedy with wanting a lot of reviews but I'm a writer who likes criticism, for Pete's sake, so sue me!**

**JK.**

**Plus, if you're wondering why I say JK a lot it's cuz I don't want to end up in a situation where someone really does sue me and the government says they had the right since I said they could. I know that's not how things work. I could seriously go on and on with how the government works and everything (it's fascinating isn't it?) but I'm sure you so don't wanna hear that.**

**So I'll just do you a favor and close with this statement and so now you can click that little button down there and tell me what you think.**

**Told you I had blubberistus:P**

**-Lyla.**

**5-28-09**

**So, whadya think about Thorton Academy so far?**

**I changed it cuz it seemed like before Alice disappeared, they were planning on going to Columbia Grammar and Prep and it didn't feel right that after Alice disappeared that Alex would still be going to that school.**

**Other than that, did you like the last part or just thought it unnecessary (this is for those of you who didn't review yet; but it's fine for those who already did.)**

**BTW, I'm hoping for the new chapter to be done by maybe next week or the week after. Things have been going crazy at school since school's amlost over in two weeks.**

**So anyways, remember to read and review!**

**Au revoir!**

**-Lyla.**

* * *


	9. Out 'n About

**Chapter 9:  
Out n About**

English went on as usual.

"Remember to complete the entire book by next month, by the day of the quiz, unless you want to spend a full summer explaining to your parents why you failed my class," said Ms. Darling--who, to say the least, wasn't even a little bit darling.

And Physics was even more boring than last year, if that were even possible.

"Miss Lexington, care to explain to me the difference between a proton and an electron?"

"Umm...The electrical charge of a proton is +1 meaning it's positive but neutrons have no electrical charge?" I ask with feeble attempt to even lookdownat the textbook before me.

Saved by the bell from no doubt yet another on-coming lecture as to why students should take more notes on the beautiful subject of physics, I hurriedly collect my books, run out the door, and nearly collide with a janitor moping up some girl's puke.

_Wait, puke?_

I look to the right, and just as I had suspected, I see Sam lying in fetal position against the lockers while clutching at her stomach.

"My goodness, Sam, what in the world happened to you?" I ask, as I kneel before with disgust and worry simultaneously pouring from my emotions.

"Biology . . . blood types . . . disgusting blood--" her sentence was instantly cut short by yet another wave of upchuck. Poor Sam. As strong as she is, her only weakness is barely the sight of blood and she'll go mad, then succumb to phlegm, one of the main reasons she couldn't take up wrestling as a sport.

"Well, you certainly look a sight for sore eyes," said I, checking her up and down to see if any other physical damage was done.

I glance at her usually rosy face--which was by now completely yellow, her bloodshot eyes and colorless lips, white crops and forest green abercrombie t-shirt now drenched in water--no doubt from a mindless classmate just trying to be "helpful", all the way down to her BARE feet whose flops lay abandoned across the hall.

This whole week--I feel I should tell you--is Free Day, basically a day when we can wear whatever we want and, as our dean always says, is stated in the first Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and shouldn't be taken lightly for at least the first week back at school.

I myself think it's a great idea and it was the reason why I was wearing a grey t-shirt with a red smiley face with two sharp pointed canine teeth along with my favorite pair of black skinny jeans and many bracelets and rings overcrowding my arms and hands.

Now back to Sam.

"Come on, let's get you up to the room so you can rest," said I, trying to get a hold of slippery Sam while trying to steady myself. "Uh, Mr. Jim, could you please tell Mr. Hines, the Trigonometry teacher, that we'll be up in our room 'cause of Sam's condition? Thanks!" I yell, as our favorite janitor quickly makes his way around the corner. _Wow, that guy can RUN; with one leg chopped off too, no less!_

And so we make our way across the fairly large strip of lawn dividing the building with the dorm building, then up the long stairway--my left hand around Sam's tiny waist, supporting her weak yet heavy body, and her right arm around my strained neck, almost dragging me back down the steps--then safely thru the door where I almost threw her onto Jessi's insanely neat bed.

"Now try to sleep and I'll get something to wipe off that phlegm off your mouth. Lie down and get comfortable; I'm sure Jessi won't mind if you spend a night in her bed. She'll just have to sleep on yours instead--after she disenfects it, that is." After tucking the thick lavender sheets tightly around her, i go off into our private bathroom and search for a towel.

Seeing as how we're out--strangely--I grab a wad of paper towels and place them under the running sink until they're soaked, take them back into the room, and wipe Sam's entire face with them before disgustedly throwing them in the adjacent trash can.

After calling down to the nurse and asking what I should do for Sam, I head over to the computer shared between the three of us. I start typing to Jessi who is always EMing people during her TechEd period.

**lex517**: hey Jes; wats up?

**gorgus932**: yo, lex! nutin' much. wat's with sam? she ran out of class last period in Bio. is she ok?=/

**lex517**: shes kinda allergic 2 blood, remember? anyways, i helped her up 2 r room and shes fast asleep right now.

**gorgus932**: oooh!=o 2 bad 4 that. hope she feels better. tell her hi 4 me will u?...  
wait a sec...  
smelly-hemmy says we gotta work on r powerpoints and i can't get an F this year!  
sorry but i gotta go; tell sam i hope she feels better by 2morrow. remember we're going 2 the lake? =2

**lex517**: idt i'll b able 2 make it.  
remember, i got community service 4 that incident last year?  
but mayb sam'll recover in time.  
sorry 2 end so soon; i'll b sooo bored until classes end.  
nurse says i gotta stay with sam so least i'm excused from trig and chem. **(A/N: chem is Chemistry)**  
c u l8er. =/

**gorgus932**: ttyl. =p

After closing down the computer and taking off my shoes, I collapse on my bed and lie on top of the covers.

The unspeakable incident I reminded Jessi of was when I stole our dean's car. You see, I was angry at stupid Ben Fink for making fun of Sam when she unknowingly scored for the oposing team at the basketball game last year. She was warned before not to start any fights with students here at Thorton and so couldn't go after him which was mainly why he made fun of her in the first place. Knowing this, I followed him after the game then beat his little puny self up.

However, I didn't know he'd had an older brother who used to go to Thorton and was visiting on parents' day. Now, to say that Ben's brother Billy is pretty big is an understatement. He was huge and three times the size of a baby elephant.

After I made that malevolent Ben suffer for how he made Sam feel, I saw the little boy run to his brother and as soon as I saw how large his big brother was, I ran like hell but didn't know where to go.

I panicked but when I saw the dean's car, I thought it was a miracle and instantly, without any second thoughts, I crashed thru the window, hoping to get away from the ginormous giant.

I drove all the way to the next town over, high on beer from the game, which kept me both unusually paranoid and sleepy simultaneously. It was already dark out since the game but even so it began to grow darker. After a while, I realized I shouldn't even be running for there was nothing to run away from.

Then with a jolt, as I was sitting in an abandoned booth at a late McDonald's, sipping an awfully warm coke, I realized the deed I had done. And so, after talking to a pretty annoyed Jessi and dazy Sam at 2 in the morning, I decided that coming clean about the whole thing would be better than the dean and her utterly terrifying supervisors finding out.

Even though I would still be punished, the punishment would be less harsh than I would have had to endure had I not come to our absolutely terriffied dean at 4:27 am.

And so here I am, serving a few hours of community service until my appointed hours by the dean are complete.

Suddenly, I am pulled out of my remembrance by a soft yet eager knock at the door. I grunt an entrance and the unknown visitor obliges with the opening of the closed path.

_Oh, I hope to God it isn't Chris. I cannot deal with any of his crap right now._

"Heeeeeeeeey, sexy-Lexy. Missed you in Chemistry this afternoon. Whatcha doing?!"

The said guy enters the room and plops down on my bed besides me after carefully closing the door behind him. He picks up the book we were assigned to read in English off my dresser and starts flipping thru it then tosses it aside with his nose crinkled in the air as if he had smelled something foul.

I however still can't believe he hasn't stopped calling me that since two years ago when he saw me in my bathing suit and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Because I had kept teasing him about it, he turned the whole thing on me and started to call me by that stupid nickname and hasn't stopped since.

"Hey, Miss Chris, gay as a kiss," I retort, happy at his incredulous expression. Even though it is a corny joke, it always works by frustrating the hell out of him.

"I am NOT gay. . . Miss Alexandra Josephine Belladonna Lexington!" His reply starts off fuming and absolutely irritated but quickly eases to a more teasing reproach.

I instantly shut up, knowing if I tease him any further about being gay, he'll take it farther with my annoying whole name. And the part he said is only part. Yes, despair, oh world. My crazy sense of humored parents decided to give me the longest name in the history of America.

Personally, I'm not sure that Chris is gay; it's just that nobody's ever seen him snogging a girl or even hanging out with any girl other than me and the two other musketeers. And even then, it's not like he likes anyone of us beyond friendship. Of course, he always denies the accusation of being gay but so far, he's never had any proof otherwise.

"Anyways, me and the guys are going down for a kind of game, if you will. Well, it's actually called geocaching and it's really cool. It's basically the same as treasure hunting and is pretty time consuming if you have nothing to do."

Chris is in the GEO Club, which is basically self explanatory. They always go on field trips and things like such, exploring different natural sights, and he most times either dragged me along or kept texting me all about it on the few times he actually allowed me to take a rain check on a "once-in-a-life-time opportunity" if I had something else to do.

"Come on Lex, it'll be fun." Chris keeps on going, trying to convince me and yet oblivious to my utterly bored expression. "Plus, it's not like there's much of a party in here; Sam's fast asleep and you're just sitting in bed moping around for no reason. Come on, get up. You have to do _something_!"

I have to agree with him, it's not like I'm too busy studying or even making an effort to read **A Midsummer's Night Dream**, the play assigned for us by Ms. Darling to complete before the end of this semester.

And so I agree, half-heartedlymind you, but it's enough for the ecstatic Chris who instantly starts to pull me along and I have barely enough time to shove the thick book in my bag, slip on a pair of grey flip-flops and an abandoned black-n-purple patterned jacket lying at the edge of my bed, pack in my bag Jessi's back-up umbrella--she most likely won't need it anyway; she rarely goes out on murky weather days, a sunscreen and water bottle, and whisper a farewell to Sam before finding myself outside our building and already halfway towards the woods behind the Gym building.

"Chris, slow down; you're going too fast!"

I could barely let out a single word in the quick gulps of air I could capture, for of course my sides were starting to sear with pain of running alongside a cross country champion.

"Oh, sure," he replies.

But there was no need for we had already arrived at the edge of the woods where the rest of the GEO Club members stood and apparently the event was already starting.

"Welcome, honored members, not so honored members, guests, and others," said the school's art teacher, Mr. Braun, who is apparently also the head of the GEO Club. "Today we will be going out on a long geocach--"

"Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" yell out a handful of guys mainly in the back of the group, including the one at my side.

"Yes, yes; I know we're all excited here, but could you guys please save your excitement until the actual activity?... Never mind; I can't explain this! Just get in groups of two or three and take a box from up here on this table that we'll call the front desk for now and inside it you'll find your instructions. The only rule here is no cheating. My son Joey here will be on the lookout thru these parts and I will be in the back of these woods and look around to make sure you guys play fairly and remember to have fun!"

The last part of his speech is rushed into a yell as teams and groups all crowd at the table trying to start off first.

_Oh, what fun._

*** * ***

Thru the thick trees, over the bristling river, down the dirty path, he pulls me along. I risk a quick glance at the sky and am reassured. It looked close to rain, but I knew the clouds weren't sad enough to cry on this day. Even though some of us are.

"Where are we heading?" I ask after a while, a bit impatiently.

"You'll see," he replies mysteriously, as he continues pulling me along.

We'd been trying to complete the activity but had no luck.

The paper in our small cardboard box had said the script below.

"_Geocaching is a similar to treasure hunting. Mainly, you go onto the geocaching website and pick out a cache, however in this case, a cache will already be picked out for you and you have to find your way to it with the coordinates in your box.  
By using a GPS--also included in the box--you put in the coordinates and you use your GPS to navigate your way towards the cache. When you get nearby you manually try to find the cache and once you do, sign the log and take or leave an item.  
Geocaches are generally hidden quite well, so try your hardest.  
The caches range in size from small wedding ring boxes to shoe boxes, but depending on the size, they can be a lot larger. Some caches can be hard to find and sometimes they are stolen.  
If you find your cache, find your way back to the front desk where either I or my son Joey will be there with a clipboard to check off whether or not you found your cache.  
Good luck and remember to have fun!_"

We have been going on and on thru out the woods with the coordinates and map as our only guide, since Chris kept insisting he could lead us to the cache with only those two things in hand since he claims he's already done this before and claims it to be easy. But now I'm starting to wonder if he _has_ actually done this before.

For a whole hour we've been out wandering these woods when finally I gathered up enough courage to tell Chris we should quit for the day.

Surprisingly, he had seemed relieved to hear that and told me he was only acting excited thinking I wanted to do this.

That may be partly true; the whole thing did seem to be rather exciting at first. But over time when you don't find something, it's better if you just throw in the towel.

And so when I asked him if we should go back to the "front desk" where most of the teams were most likely hanging out, but instead of agreeing, he told me he had a better plan and so secured my hand in his and started running swiftly thru the trees, dragging me along for the harsh ride thru the woods, and here we are.

I thank heavens at this moment for my luck thru these woods. I'm amazed at how I'm running through them without tripping on any roots or sticks.

We swiftly weave in and out of the trees, over logs, through leafy branches. My flops had been long lost in the first five seconds and my feet are beginning to ache from the rough and muddy surface of the woods.

As we pass a rather large thorn bush, I spy a bit of satin, delicate, flowy material that glitters in the few beams of light from behind the trees. It seems to somehow be trapped inside the branches of the bush.

I wonder how that got there?

The high songs and chirps of birds and the whispers of the trees can be heard clearly from the treetops above. The wind blows silently overhead, and even though we're running fast, I can catch wisps of the mysterious whispers of those trees high in the sky and even ahead of me, deeper thru the forest still.

We should definitely be getting closer; it's only a matter of time until I either pass out from exhaustion or we finally reach the yet unknown destination. It seemed somewhat hopeless to keep running still. Sam and Jessi would be sick with worry of where I am by now.

I turn my head around briefly, relying on Chris to make sure that I don't fall in a small stream of get a concussion from a low branch. But as I do, I suddenly become more anxious and frightened. But why? I have nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear.

But suddenly, low whispers from three years past evade my head and pry deep within my inner being.

_I thought they had left for good on the night Alice-- No, I will not think of that now, now that I have a completely different life without her._

These whispers I spoke to you of merely a few seconds ago envade my very soul, voices of mysteries becoming louder now, too loud that I quickly turn back around, hoping to diminish these no-doubt wicked thoughts.

Shacking off these things in my head, I turn back around. And as I do I notice a large and magnificent tree in the near distance. It looks almost near majestic, the way the sun is hidden behind it and the way it lets out a pale yellow aura that surrounded the entire tree.

Feeling Chris stop besides me and slowly let go of my hand, I instantly run towards the mysterious tree, curious enough to explore the unknown.

"Wow," I breath with upmost praise for the magnificent tree before me.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Chris asks, know standing a few inches to my left. "I come here occasionally when I need some time for myself... Laugh at me if you may but I think I'm in love!"

"It's not that much of a silly thing to say, Chris. It really is beautiful. But if you end up marrying the poor tree, who's gonna look after me?" I ask thoughtlessly.

"Whaddya mean, 'poor tree?'"he asks incredulously.

But suddenly his face grows more somber and more serious still.

"You know I'll always love you, right?" he asks in a whisper, the few yards between us crossed with his arms suddenly around me and his scent of wood and peppermint engulfing me.

I nod solemnly.

"I'll always love you like you're my favorite little sister in the world. I promise I'll never leave you even if we both grow old and marry different people. You're my best friend, Lexy, you've always been," he whispers lovingly.

After a few silent seconds, he walks me over to the tree and we both sit on the hard branches beneath us.

I gaze deep within his eyes, knowing that even if we can't share a true love, we'll always have a stronger bond still, one that'll still send me sailing after him or him after me.

But then, as we gradually began talking about more comfortable topics like our Chemistry project due the next month, something amazing happened.

The ground beneath us begins moving! The tree behind us is shaking. No…it was twisting…and splitting?

_What the hell?_

I look behind me to see that the tree is twisting and forming a hole in the center.

I anxiously look to Chris, who has the same expression of disbelief splattered across his face, then back to the tree. It was done twisting and has successfully created a hole in the center of it resembling an archway.

I don't know why I want to, but I suddenly have a strive to reach out to the archway and fall through it. It seems as if it's my only hope to escape this twisted world.

_What in the world is happening?_

And suddenly, the roots from the archway tree spring up as if alive, pushing both me and a baffled Chris.

Instanly, as soon as the branches unreasonably smack me upside the head, I fall right through the archway and disappeared into its depths, with hopefully Chris at my side.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I know, I stole the blood part from Twilight. **

**BTW: I do not claim to own Twilight. Just in case my page gets deleted by the main people of this cite, this is a disclaimer.  
However I do own this fanfic; so there! **

**What can I tell you, after spending most of my life with obsessed Twilight fans as my friends, knowledge starts to rub off. Just read and review. And if you want to accuse me of plagiarism, write it in a review. Pretty please? =p**

**Also, the next chapter's probably gonna be even longer... or maybe not. Just remember to review and tell me what you think! You may hate it yourself for all I care.**

**Don't kill me; sorry about the whole cliffhanger.**

**I promise to update as long as I get at least TWO reviews. Seriously, that's not a lot! Just TWO. **

**Also, just write and tell me your fave fairy tale or fairy tale character. Come on, I'm curious! Plus, I need it for the next few chapters. COME ON, it's not that hard! Pretty please?!**

**-Lyla.**


	10. The Ruins of a Somber Night

**Chapter 10:  
The Ruins of a Somber Night**

Down the deep portal I fall, down into oblivion, into space and beyond.

Colors splash all around me, enveloping me in their midst.

Twinges of shapes and multiple shades flash before my very eyes, blinding me with the mere force of light.

Shadows of memories past engulf my body and mind, inside me so that I can see them on the imprint of my brain, on the inside of my eyelids.

Damned spirits, no doubt circling us both, dragging us down to the pits of hell.

_Oh despair, dear grace, how can this be?_

_Are we trapped in a never-ending cycle, doomed to pay for our earthly sins?_

_What terrible punishment has befallen us?_

_What unspoken yet unforgivable deed have we committed?_

_How hav--_

But before I can think another word, the walls of the pit close in on us, pushing us even further down the path. More swirls encircle us and the next second, we are both lying side by side, breathless, on smooth grassy ground at the edge of a small pool, most likely more than just 10 feet from side to side, in a curious wood.

There are tall branches with hundreds of tiny jade leaves swaying overhead with strange aura surrounding them quite resembling cinnamon and roses.

But the trees grow so close together and are so leafy that I can't even get one glimpse of the sky.

All the light is a sort of green light that comes thru the leaves; but there must be some kind of very strong sun overhead, for this green daylight seems as bright as the northern lights and feels as warm as a winter fire, when all other hope is lost.

It can definitely be described as the quietest wood I have seen. There are no birds, insects, animals, or wind of any sort at all. I swear it's as if I can almost feel the trees themselves growing in our very midst.

The pool right at our very feet is probably the only one for miles at an end. It's possible it may be the only pool throughout the entire wood.

I can almost feel the trees drinking the water up from this pool with their very roots, all anxious to survive from one sole source of water, no-doubt.

This wood seems very much alive.

I assure, if Ms. Darling asks us how we enjoyed our weekend, I would tell her I spent hours on end in a rich wood, a wood as rich as plum cake. For surely it is. And surely I will.

I instantly look to my left, checking if Chris made with me this far and curious to see what he thinks of all this.

I see his expression, peaceful as a bird in mid-afternoon, his eyes closed, his breath coming slowly in and out of his chest every few seconds.

_What in the world is he doing, sleeping at a time like this?!There is much to do, much to explore, much to discover that is undiscovered still!_

After a few more quiet moments, I decide to let him sleep and enjoy the peaceful state as it is before something unspeakable happens.

I get up gently in order to not disturb him, and make my way carefully towards the closest tree before us.

It seems like such a lonely tree, calling out to me like a dyeing bird.

_What happened to it? What is its story?_

For everyone has to have a story; as complicated as it may seem.

I extend my hand out, curiosity trembling in my veins, until my soft fingers gently brush the hard bark of the white tree.

_White? Curious. Very curious. For what is a white tree doing in a place such as this? The only white tree, nonetheless._

Nevermore, for I dismiss that thought with a mere jerk of my hand, for I have quickly forgotten and moved on further up the thin and narrow trunk.

Scratches follow up, my fingers leading the way, uncovering more and more with each inch. Strange scratches, they seem, made in a strange pattern. A zigzagy sort of pattern.

Deep scratched they seem, also. _Again, strange._

But a sudden stir behind me makes me jump a mile. Frantically I look around for Chris, my eyes at last landing on his sleeping figure a few yards behind me.

Suddenly, I feel anxious and nervous simultaneously, a strange sort of scared. I do not recognize this fear for never in my life had I had it before. Strange, yes.

"Chris," I call out to him softly. Again, I call out his name, yet not so quietly this time.

I quickly stride over to him, kneel down near his peaceful figure, and gently try to shake him awake. When he does not stir, I start to worry and shake him even harder still.

Suddenly, his eyes snap open and search frantically all around until both ours eyes meet, his anxious worried ones and my teary grateful ones. He sees me kneeling near him and gets up to gently embrace me in a soft yet tight hug, twice in an hour.

"I thought I lost you," I say between sobs of discontent. "I thought you had left me forever."

"Hushhh, Lex, we're both safe here. Don't worry about a thing, we're gonna be fine." He keeps whispering words of comfort in my ear but I am far off, imagining a life without him and shuddering with the mere thought.

_How many people do I have to lose in order to find a life? First you take away my sister then my friends and family and almost everyone I know and leave me here with only one of my best friends?! _

I take out all my anger out at the universe, clutching at Chris like he is my anchor and we're both drowning in the sea. But after a few minutes of silence I have to thank my lucky stars I am not stranded in this empty space alone. Thankfully I have Chris with me and at least one person will be with me in my death here. For how in the world will we be able to get back home?!

He gently pulls me up and I lean on him as we slowly make our way forward, exploring new paths and openings…

*** * ***

With some difficulty, and with some stings from nettles and pricks from thorns, we had struggled out of the thicket.

It is so thick and tangled that we can hardly see into it at all; and nothing in it moved—not a bird, not even an insect.

It has now turned darker and so we had more difficulty still with no source of light except for Chris's back-up flashlight he had brought along for the geocaching.

A few hours seems like so long ago now.

I grunt for the five thousandths time today, as I have to stoop under the 1400th branch as Chris had to climb over another. Before, we had to blunder thru great masses of stuff like rhododendrons and tore our clothes in the process and got our feet wet in a stream we decided to follow a while back.

And still, no noise at all can be heard except for the stream and the noises we ourselves make with every step we take.

My feet are gradually becoming heavier and my mind starting to zone out when suddenly, we come upon another surprise, when all the trees around us start dwindling.

And after a few more steps, we find ourselves at the edge of a fairly large clearing.

A curious wooden bridge is running over the river our stream runs thru and so we pant up the steep bank, force our way thru some brambles, cross the bridge, and find ourselves in front of a statue of a gigantic man with a crown circling his head, a pair of majestic-looking robes and a scepter in his hand, along with thin, peculiar-looking wings growing out of his back. The man--or a king is more like it--stands in a brave stance, as if he had just defeated an army of hundreds. The whole thing is carved from what seemed like a kind of stone, with rubies embedded in the crown.

_Strange thing, that no metal at all was used. _

A few meters ahead stood a castle which most likely was made from the same strange substance as the statue. The whole building seems as dark as night with the big round moon overlooking the whole saddened sight.

A dead silence hangs over everything. Not a chirp or peep is heard at all.

_What a depressing place. 'Tis a pity no one is dancing outside these walls and around the courtyard like they should, like old stories tell._

Only the moon overhangs in the sky, no stars on this night, no planes, and no helicopters. Though something tells me this is no place for such things.

"It's so quiet here."

I jump at the sudden noise of Chris's voice, for it is particularly quiet in these lonely parts.

_I wonder, why is it so calm and silent here? Did something happen?_

As if reading my mind, Chris voices the question into the night air and adds the fact that he wishes to do something to help.

Instantly, at those very words, a whisper passes thru the trees behind the solemn and somber castle and makes its way towards us.

It is almost as I the curious castle wants us to come forth and present ourselves. And as my legs warily pull me closer, I realize that it is not as I had thought; the castle is in ruins and as abandoned as a desert, not filled with sleeping people tired of a lively night.

_No wonder…_

I turn towards the ruins and press my way between the laden branches as I reach the wall. It certainly looks very old, broken down in places, with moss and wildflowers growing alongside it, vines etched in the bricks, but it is higher than all but some of the tallest trees growing so near, it looks as if they were planted there.

Even closer still, I spy a great arch, which once must have had a gate in it but is now almost filled up with the largest of all the trees.

Reaching up, I try to break some of the branches to get past, but suddenly stop my hand in mid-air, wondering where Chris is.

_Didn't he follow me or is he still back there? _I think, with a shiver running up my spine.

I turn and hesitantly run back, thru the somber silence, wet long grass brushing at my bare legs; most of my jeans had been torn a few miles ago.

"_Chris_," I call out anxiously. Looking all around me, I try to spot his no-doubt lonesome figure, left and right, then left again; but I can't find him.

"_Lex..._"

The soft sound comes from behind me and I could barely hear it had I not stooped to the ground for a mere few seconds from tiredness.

"Lex..."

A little more stronger this time.

_I wonder if that's Chris, calling from afar._

And suddenly I am on my feet, running back thru the night, calling out once more.

And instantly I collide with a crouched body, laying on the floor with his hands covering his head and his head between his knees.

"Lex..." he whispers once more, and I am now quite sure he is the one I have been looking for.

In a swift second, my arms were around him and this time I am the one embracing him and comforting him in the darkest of times.

"What are we even doing here?" I whimper softly, tears in my eyes. "I want to go home..."

He still keeps shivering and moaning, but now his arms encircle my body and we lay there in the tall, wild grass brushing against us softly, lying in each other's arms, promising to protect one another in times of danger.

*** * ***

I don't know how long we lay seeking comfort and shelter there in each others arms, but after a while, it finally dawns on me that we won't be able to do anything if we stayed like this forever.

And so, carefully untangling my arms from his, our now-dry eyes meet and we know we have to do something.

He silently helps me up without a word and we make our way forth, thru the somber silence, under the mourning sky **(A/N: mourning as in crying, not morning as in day**), and ahead, facing the mysterious ruins, eager to solve the unspoken truth behind this prison of anguish.

Slowly making our way towards the ruins, we press our way onward between the burdened branches and we finally reach the hard yet crumbling wall.

Chris's strong pitcher's hands tear down the thick vines of the wildflowers and wild ivy entwined in the bricks, making way for me to follow thru behind his dark figure.

Thru the great arch I had spotted before, I help him break some more of the branches to get past.

Blinking from the mere force of the first light we've seen in ages from a strange flaming torch a few yards ahead, we find ourselves in a wide open space with walls all around us.

In here, thankfully, there are no more trees, only level grass, daisies, more ivy, and grey walls surrounding us. It is a strangely bright, secret, quiet place, seeming rather dismal.

Hesitantly, I follow Chris and step out into the middle of the courtyard, then am instantly glad to be able to straighten my back and move my limbs freely.

"This must have been the courtyard," Chris finally says.

A dead silence follows; I'm too tired for sarcasm even now.

"Yeah, see, 'cause there's the remains of the tower up there. And there must have been a flight of steps going up the top of the wall. And the other shallower steps going up to that doorway to what must have lead into the great hall ages ago. And there..."

I stop listening to him as he suddenly goes into his observant mode, going on and on about things nobody ever notices.

"I wonder who used to live here," I say, suddenly interrupt his ongoing ramble about the different types of castles kings built in the 14th century.

"Well, I wonder where we even are. What do you think happened?" he asks.

'I don't know' I mumble, looking around and pausing to check something here or there. "Maybe the people who lived here died in a battle against two realms long ago, or something," I guess.

"Well, it would certainly explain why the whole castle looks deteriorated," he replies observantly.

As he says this, Chris crosses the courtyard and wanders thru the other doorway into what had once been the great hall. I follow closely, not wanting to be left behind.

The roof of the hall is covered in numerous cracks and 'tis a wonder we received shelter from the pitter-patter of the rain outside in the night. And so the room is merely another space of grass and daisies, except it's narrower and not as long and the walls are higher.

Across the far end of the hall, I spy a kind of terrace about a yard higher than the rest.

"This must have been the dais where the High Table was, where all the royal lords and ladies sat. And there must have been the place where--"

"Chris, are you going to keep babbling like an incoherent know-it-all or are you going to lead us in already?"

"Fine, fine," he says. Though I can swear I heard him mumble under his breath something along the lines of 'unappreciated.'

When we finally stood on the threshold and are able to look in, we see that it's not as dark inside as it is out.

The hall is vast, shadowy, and seems empty; but on the far side there's a row of pillars with arches between them and thru those there streams in a dull sort of light.

The walk onward is long for we have to walk carefully in case of any holes on the floor or anything lying around we might trip on.

When we finally reach the other side, we come out thru one of the arches and find ourselves in yet another larger courtyard.

There is a fountain in the center. A majestic-looking lady with thin widespread wings stands in a wide stone basin with a jar in her hands where water now flows feebly

In one place a pillar is missing between two arches and the bit that comes down to where the top of the pillar had to be isn't supported by anything, looking more dangerous still.

Clearly, the place must have been deserted for cenuries.

"Be careful," Chris whispers softly, "one sound or movement may cause that to collapse down on us and crush us to our deaths."

We go out of the courtyard, thru another doorway, up a great flight of steps, and thru vast rooms that opened out to one another until I am going dizzy with the mere size of the place.

This must have been a magnificent place when people actually lived here.

After a while of tireless, endless walking, we finally came upon two huge doors made of some peculiar substance resembling gold. One of the doors stood a little ajar and so, curious as we both are, of course we go forth to look in.

But as Chris raises his arm to wedge the door open a bit more, an unknown voice comes out of nowhere and says, "I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

* * *

**A/N: So pplz what did y'all think?**

**I myself am proud I finally finished this chapter so I beg you please don't leave me with no reviews.**

**I really want to know what you guys thought of it.**

**Pretty please?**

**Oh, and who do you think is the mysterious voice?**

**The more reviews, the sooner I'll update.**

**-Lyla =P**


	11. A Night Of Tangled Pasts

**Chapter 11:  
A Night Of Tangled Pasts **

**Previously: **After a while of tireless, endless walking, we finally came upon two huge doors made of some peculiar substance resembling gold. One of the doors stood a little ajar and so, curious as we both are, of course we go forth to look in.

But as Chris raises his arm to wedge the door open a bit more, an unknown voice comes out of nowhere and says, "I wou'nt do tha' if I were ye..."

* * *

The sudden warning from behind instantly takes me by surprise as my feet pull me up into the air then back down about a mile away.

My right hand clutches my chest as I turn around and meet the eyes of a rather peculiar man.

He is quite small, about 4'3", with pitch black, unruly, greasy hair barely covered with a worn out rag of a hat. His attire—if you could have the decency to call it that—consists of a barely buttoned-up dark-olive vest with a faded pair of oversized slacks hanging on his waist. And for shoes, he had none; he stands above the cracks on the floor in bare feet shuffling them eagerly.

"Well, 'oo in Faerie's name are ye lot?" the strange man asks in a threatening thick Irish accent.

Chris, being the first of us to regain his voice, says, "Um…well…my name is Chris Cadenza and this is Alexa Lexingt—"

"Just Lex," I interrupt with anxiousness and nervousness flooding my veins. "And who're you, may I ask?"

"Ahem, well, tha' doesn't rightfully concern ye; spies as ye are! I be'er take yee both to 'Lia an' see what she'll decide ter do wit' ya," he mumbles, more to himself than us.

"We're not spies!" Chris defies, almost as instantaniously as I ask, "Who?"

"None o' yer bidness, tha's who," he yells, nose flaring in anger. "An' how are we to kno' yer not spies?" he questions threateningly once again.

Taking us both strongly by our wrists, the small man leads us on. And surprisingly for his height, he pulls us along like an ox leading a light-weight cart!

"_Where do you think he's taking us?_" Chris whispers to me as our guide lets go of his wrists for a second to open a small wooden door ahead.

_"I don't know but I don't think it's--" _

"Wha' are ye lot whisperin 'bout now?" asks the rather annoyed, slit-eyed man. "We're almost 'ere anyways, so shut yer trap!"

After a lot of blind pushing and pulling in the darkness of the ruins, the three of us are all standing in the slightly large courtyard we had passed before, the one with the fountain in the middle and yet another flame burning we hadn't noticed before.

"Cordelia!" calls out the strange little man.

"What is it now, Krayvin? Don't you see I'm quite busy with-- Ohh! What in the world did you find there?"

It is a rather soft voice, carrying a subtle irish accent, as soft as a delicate swing of a dove's wing and yet as warm as bee honey.

The voice belongs to a woman with olive toned skin, a small nose, deep green eyes, dark silky curls cascading down her shoulders, and wearing a dark green cloak like the forest canopy over a small, simple black dress. She would have made a beautiful woman if not for a few deep scars running down her left cheek and her low height, which makes her quite fat in the process.

The woman was kneeling down near the roses when we first went thru the door, but she has made her way towards us and is now standing directly in front of Chris and me, her piercing eyes cutting deep into our own. And the next thing I know, I am being crushed to death in a long and hard embrace and the soft smell of lavender engulfs me.

"Spies, me thinks," replies the old man by the name of Krayvin, crouched in a corner and smoking a pipe.

_What kind of name is Krayvin anyway?_

"Spies?" she asks, a look of surprise flaring in her face, as she lets go and turns towards Krayvin. "Ye should know better than calling our dear visitors spies! Spies, indeed! 'Tis because of them we do not treamble with fear in the dark burrows of the forest in the dead of night!"

"Like we a'nt already!" Krayvin retorts.

"Well, us Dwarfs weren't before the great war!"

_They're dwarfs_, mouths Chris. I nodd, a bit distracted by something she had said before.

"Ye ought to remember how faeries were our protecters for many a year before the Great War--"

"When everything changed."

"Yes, things change over time, but some matters remain in minds over many a moon," the woman woman replies softly before turning towards us once again. "Oh dear lord and lady, please excuse our bickering! We be Cordelia and Krayvin Flint--two humble dwarfs of Faerie. If ye would like, please help yerselves to some food, ye must be quite hungry from such a long journey."

As she said this, the small woman hands us a tray of a pair of rather gaunt-looking fish.

''We apoligize, 'tisn't much--"

"Apoligize?! That's the best looking thing I've seen all day!" Chris says, and instantly, he races over to the silver tray, collapses on a nearly-crumbled stone bench, and begins stuffing his face after a quick look of permission from the small woman.

I, however, am still in shock and disbelief.

"Whatever is the matter, highness?" the woman asks.

"What in the world do you mean, 'highness'? 'Lords' and 'Ladies'? We already told Kraydin there we're just Chris and Lex. We go to school and do homework and everything! Not rule over people!" I cry out all in a rush.

"Young one, do ye not know who ye are?" she asks patiently.

"Whaddya mean? Didn't you hear me just explain all that?" I ask in return.

"No dear one, ye are clearly a descendant of Asteria Black, a beloved princess of Wyikha, a land not much to the east of Faerie."

"How could I be--not to say I am--but how could I be if she's a princess from here? Not a princess from our world?A-a-and how in the world did we even get here? And--"

"Sit down dear, have some fish, and I'll tell ye the dear princess's tale."

And so, quite hesitantly I assure you, I ate some of the malodorous meal as the curious woman began her tale.

"Long ago in the kingdom of Wyikha lived a princess by the name of Asteria Black. Back then, the kingdom of Wyikha, as it is now, was full of wyches who ruled the land with Ancient Magyks of sorts. Asteria, daughter of Septimus and Melinda Black, was a beautiful girl, born with the gift of foresight. Her first premonition was a blessed gift--as King Septimus had proclaimed--and ever since then, when she was about the age of four, he locked her and her younger sister Daphne--who showed signs of having the gift of telepathy--up in a tower with his most trusted wizard friend to tutor them in the Ancient Magyks that lay ahead for both to learn and use in order to keep their beloved kingdom under rule.

"For 12 years they remained locked up in her tower, were refused the right to have fun and play with kids their age, for their father said they had first to master their blessed gifts. And so they did, night after night, day after day. Until one day--" Suddenly there was a clatter from behind.

"Krayvin, if ye want to listen to the story, come sit down here, ye don't have to make such a fuss about it! So where were we?"

"One day..." mumbles a rather mouthful Chris.

"Ah, yes. Until one day, Asteria received a premonotion of a mysterious handsome man, traveling from miles away from a land of wonders. She knew he was to arrive the next week and so she arranged to sneak out with her sister Daphne in tow right when the man who went by the name of William Drake, from the Mortal Realm, arrived on horseback to visit the wonderful land of Wyikha. Back then, in those times of old, the portals from this world to the Mortal Realm were wide open and known of, all over. The country mortals call England had the main portal in Hampton Court, which led to the castle of Faerie. From there, 'tis said the man traveled to Wyikha. And so, the king and queen, grateful for a visitor from another world, arranged for everything to be perfect, everyone to attend, and all things to be in order. And so, that meant Asteria, as well as her younger sister, Daphne, were invited to attend the great feast and a later ball in honor of William Drake.

"Ye can very well imagine what happened. At first sight, in the front gardens of the Wyikhan Castle, William Drake and Asteria Black fell in love. They spent hours on end in the royal gardens, while everyone else was laughng and dancing in the ballroom. The two lovers were mezmorized by one another; talking endlessly on topics we can only guess of. And so, hours became days, days became weeks, weeks became months, until came the day that Drake had to depart to his own world.

"Now, you can guess how poor Princess Astria felt. Heartbroken, remorseful, dispaired, hollow, and forlorn. She as well as Drake. But her parents, you see, were quite content and looking forward to--

"Yes, Chris, tis a very interesting fire. That there is an Everlasting Flame of Faerie, as ye can very well see on the insignia below. Very rare. No, don't touch it!

"Nevertheless, the king and queen of Wyikha were relieved Drake had to return to the Mortal Realm for they feared their eldest daughter and their honored visitor had developed attachments. They of course wouldn't dream of the daughter who would one day rule over Wyikha could possibly marry a mere mortal.

"However, on the night Drake was to be packing for the Mortal Realm, he snuck up to the Crown Princess's tower. There, she was hardly asleep with worry and so he told her tales of wonder and excitement from his world. And the Crown Princess was so enriched and full of absolute incitement that she nearly begged him to take her with him. And so, in the dead of night, the two lovers snuck out of the kingdom and made their way thru one of the portals behind the castle to the Mortal Realm.

"The next day, when the king and queen found out, they were enraged, furious, and ordered that all the portals known be sealed shut, so that there would be no way in and no way out. The Crown Princess was thereof banished from the grounds of Wyikha if she were ever to return again. But she never did. The great phoenix of King Oberon--king of Faerie--possessed the gift of transportation at will, and told the king what he learned in the Mortal Realm. The king then recorded it in his Great Book of Faerie, which still dwells deep in the bowels of the treasure rooms below. Astria Black and William Drake were married soon after they arrived in England. They then, with the Pilgrim Fathers, sailed for America along the Mayflower. There, the two forigners made a family and lived content with life until their untimely deaths.

"And so ye see, ye must be her numerously great grand-daughter, somehow. Do ye understand now, child?" Cordelia asks patiently.

I slowly nod, facing the strangely bright stars sparkling in the dark heavens; I do, somehow. It all makes sense now.

_But what does that have to do with Chris?_

Said boy, not surprisingly, voices the same question, disapointed at the lack of food on his plate.

"Ah, yes. Robin Goodfellow--"

"What?!" we both cry out simultaneously.

"You're a descendant of the Trickster King? He's real too, here? Way cool!" I blurt out of my fazed daze.

_It's a good thing Ms. Darling introduced the characters of **A Midsummer's Night Dream** to us before handing out the books._

"Not exactly," Cordelia says.

"What are you on about now?" asks a dazed Krayvin from behind a thorned rosebush.

"Well, ye see, it all starts a few centuries back. Many moons ago, here lived the royal family of the Faerie kingdom. Peacefully, mind ye. King Oberon and Queen Titania, with their seven sons and daughters, Dahlia, Peony, Zinnia, Iris, Aster, Mustardseed, and Robin, of course. But ye see, the pernicious piksy king, Rambus Riddle, was striving off of will-o'-the-wisps's blood, barely ruling over his frantic citizens. He made a plan in order to succeed, mainly including a Wyikhan princess as his forced bride.

"However, since the last Wyikhan female ruler was Princess Daphne, who was killed along with the king and queen in battle against the army of malevolent ogres, Wyikha was stripped the blessing of princesses because of the unforgivable deed of Crown Princess Asteria, and so before she was skinned alive, Princess Daphne gave birth to a baby boy named Arsenius--died as well in another battle still--whose later wife gave birth to another son, Viktor. To this day, Viktor rules over Wyikha, now a somber kingdom if there ever was one. Yes, even worse than Faerie. For Faerie has peaceful ruins whereas there is not a breath of happiness dwelling under King Viktor's rule.

"And so King Rambus's henchmen broke into The Royal Library of Faerie and stole the Great Book of Faerie. Rest assured, the Book was then recaptured by King Oberon's men and sealed shut deep within one of the treasure rooms. But not before the piksy king discovered that Crown Princess Asteria gave birth to successors, and her descendants live in New York in the Mortal Realm. The Book also told him of the powers the first born of the Wyikan princesses recieve the blessed gift of foresight along with the well-known wych powers she inherates. As you can likely guess now, King Rambus ordered his most trusted henchman to take some men into the dangerous Mortal Realm and fetch his soon-to-be bride."

"That's who I heard trying to persuade Alice the world had mistreated her and to come with him!" The thought suddenly dawned on me.

"That's the insufferable, coniving huge man I had to fight!" Chris exclaims. "But what does any of that have to do with me? Or Robin?"

"I was get'in there!" Cordelia replies. "So then, they took Alice--yer older twin sister, am I correct?--to their 'beloved' king. He then hatched another plan still, to take over Faerie, which had always been higher in rule than Piksy. Rambus hired wizards of all sorts from Wyikha to train both him and Alice in her magyk, which had begun to show soon after she arrived here, in her true world. She had willfully given him part of her magyk and so, after many a moon, and many a month, she was finally proclaimed ready by those piksys, and was taken to Faerie with the king to destroy Faerie.

"The people fought well and hard, but Alice and Rambus's magyk proved to be stronger indeed. As ye can clearly see, the castle was beaten to ruins! And so, King Oberon, afraid for his family, ordered his wife and seven children to flee into the woods and valleys. The queen however, refused to let her dear husband die without her, and so left only Dahlia, Peony, Zinnia, Iris, Aster, Mustardseed, and Robin to race thru the woods alone. And so, one by one, they fell prey to the piksy magyk, and succumbed to ashes, until only Zinnia and Robin were left. They, as the Great Book writes, discovered one of the few hidden portals left in the Wylde Wood--which runs thruout all the kingdoms--and jumped thru, eager to be rid of the battle.

"Well, ye see, me and Krayvin guard the castle now, so we have full access to every room. The little magyk we dwarfs have left is enough to take care of this castle. So, of course we've seen the Book of Faerie. And so we know that the reason Prince Robin's souls still lives on but Princess Asteria's didn't is that when a soul finds love, even in another world, they are conjoined with their true love, and so can leave earth when they desire, meaning when they die, their soul does not find another host, like Robin's did," she finishes off.

"So you're saying Mandy has Zinnia's soul inside her and I have Robin's soul inside me?" Chris questions, confusion written clear across his face.

"Again, not exactly. When Robin didn't find a true love ina foreign world, his soul was reborn in a new body. Thrice, that happened, according to the Book. So, ye are Robin. Prince Robin Goodfellow Aurealis. And yer sister Mandy is the Princess Zinnia. Understand? But if ye didn't find yer way back here, yer soul would have most definitely stopped this time. For surely ye have found a partner to share yer life with,'' she says, staring pointedly at me.

_What, me?!_

"No, no! You don't understand; we're just friends!" I protest, no-dout blushing like a beet tomatoe. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a soft blush as well as a smirk slowly make it's way across Chris's face.

_What?! He has absolutely no right to smirk! What did I even do? She's the one who suggested us being couples!_

But as I look over to Cordelia, I see she is simply quiet, a knowing showing in the dark of night.

"But...but I don't remember anything about Robin--or my past life, if you could call it that," Chris replies, no-doubt trying to change the subject.

_Finally!_

"Ye wouldn't, though. Yer soul's memories have escaped ye over time but they will soon be regained after a while in Faerie. Do ye not recall anythin'? Isn't any thought comin' back at all?" she asks, looking at Chris with her head bent a bit to the right, as if he's an interesting specimen and she's the curious scientist.

"Well, now that you mention it...no!"

With one more look at the sparkling night sky, I chuckle at his mannerless idiocracy.

"No matter, ye will in due time."

* * *

**A/N: Well, what did y'all think?**

**I know tis a bit short, or long, just go with it.**

**But still, whaddya think of the new characters?**

**And the stories Cordelia told?**

**Review and I'll have the next chapter up sooner than otherwise!**

**Or else I shall update only when pigs fly.**

**Now for you idiots out there--sorry! Just kidding!**

**O.D. HYPER MOOD TODAY!!!**

**Anyways, for those who didn't understand some shtuff, the residents of Faerie, Piksy, Wyikha, and other kingdoms in that world are all immortals. Meaning they don't die of old age or any sickness, only if they drink deadly potions, starve, or if they get killed in battle or otherwise. Princes and princesses stop aging at 18 except until they become kings or queens, then they age year by year until they are 30. Regular children can control their aging at will when they turn 10. They can either stay 10 or keep aging till they're 18 to get married and have children. After their second child, they start to age until 30. That's when immortality kicks in. **

**By the way, there's a magyk golden drink that all royal newlyweds--faeries, wyches, even piksys--drink at their weddings so that they become royals by marriage.**

**Also, if you didn't understand Cordelia's stories, Asteria's parents died in battle against Urdwold, land of the ogres, along with her younger sister Daphne. Now Daphne possessed the gift of telepathy like all second born of the Wyikhan royal blood line. The first born, of course, had foresight. But Daphne didn't pass down her gift to her son--Arsenius--mainly because the special gifts are only given to female wyches. But the potions and spells are powers passed down to both males and females. So then after Arsenius's wife gave birth to baby Viktor, Arsenius had to go off to battle with the ogres again! Unbelievable ogres, aren't they? **

**Then Arsenius's wife drank a death potion, committing suicide and leaving poor Viktor in the hands of his nurse, in order to be with her husband in death. Quite melodramatic, ain't it? Wyikha's duke then ruled over Wyikha until Viktor turned 18. He then kept on aging until 30, stopped there, and that is when King Rambus--who only survives off the blood of will-o'-the-wisps (tiny faeries as big as Tinkerbell and if you don't know who that is, that's just sad)--attacks Faerie. King Oberon--king of Faerie--dies along with Queen Titania. Their 4 daughters and 3 sons--Dahlia, Peony, Zannia, Iris, Aster, Mustardseed, and Robin(Mustardseed and Robin are twins--Robin is the second born after Zinnia)--run into the Wylde Woods. All except Robin and Zannia dissappear either visibly or are never heard of again. Robin and Zannia find a forgotten portal and end up in some part of England. **

**They too cross the Atlantic Ocean and after dieing, their souls keep moving on to sister n brother. A few generations later, they still don't find true love (that's already explained in the chapter) and so they are reborn into Chris and Mandy Cadenza--children of the rich Cadenza family. As Mandy goes off to college, Chris enrolls in Thorton High School with Lexy. And the rest is history...**

**If there's anything else you don't understand, I'm happy to explain if you send me a PM or review with questions. **

**Ciao 4 now,**

**-Lyla =P**


	12. Of Alice and Faerie

**Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Goodfellow, Mustardseed, Queen Titania, King Oberon, or any other characters from Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. Only my OC's.**

**Chapter 12:  
Of Alice and Faerie**

A soft whisper thruout the wild trees disturbs my peaceful state of dreamless sleep.

Above, out the window at my right, the birds sing melodious praises swiftly flying in and out of skies above; a brightness overtakes the dark sky of the previous night; and barely a cloud is seen in the heavens on this joyous day.

_Wait, birds? What in the world happened to all the somber silence?_

As I sit up against the scarlet itchy blankets I was given the night before, I recall brief flashes of the night before; a quick quest for a place to rest for the night, soft bids good-night, a tangle of scarlet around my dozy form, and a blank emptiness of thought that can only be described as a dreamless peace.

Carefully, I make my way out the door, and down the crumbling steps in a pair of soft silvery slippers I had found underneath my bed--no doubt meant for me to wear them seeing as how they were accompanied by a note to meet Krayvin and Cordelia down in the courtyard of the night before.

_So not how waking up at Thorton would be like!_

A quiet morning instead of a hurried and bustling one is quite an improvement among my life's current misfortune.

And so, I take my time down these old steps, noticing that no rat or mouse is within sight.

_Strange. Strange indeed..._

Ahead, I see Cordelia towering above a terrified Krayvin, no doubt scolding him for yet another mistaken assumption.

"'Morning!" I call out, distracting a rather fumed Cordelia.

"Who's-- Oh, fare morning, my lady." Immediately the female dwarf had turned red at my sudden appearance, realizing she had almost scolded me as well.

"Fare morning?" I ask, with a curious look about my face. "Is that what you call it here? And Cordelia, please don't call me 'lady'. My name's just Lexy. I'm kinda having a bit of a hard time actually believing all this crap--excuse my language, of course. And it just makes it worse that you keep pushing it on me every chance you get-- Oh, please don't bow, too!" I whine, a bit tired from the past restless evening.

"Sorry, miss."

"Didn't I just-- Oh, I give up!" I say, throwing my hands in the air. "By the way, why is it so cheerful and bright this morning? I noticed it was exceptional grim yesterday. You even said that was Faerie's normal state ever since... Well, what happened?"

"'Tis because Faerie is rejoicing in the return of our long-lost prince and the arrival of a visiter from a long line of wyches, a princess, too."

"But-- Hold on, where's Chris?"

"His highness is bathing down by the streams-- I'm sorry, I meant to say--" but I instantly cut off the small, nervous dwarf.

"For all I care, you can call him High And Gracious King Of The Universe and I wouldn't mind. You know what, actually it would make my day to see him flip out on that. Or maybe he'd enjoy being called a prince. Hang on, wouldn't he be king now since his so-called father's dead?" I ask, a bit intrigued at the thought.

"Well, act'ally, 'e wouldn't really b--" starts the small man currently taming the wild rosebushes but only to be interrupted by his own wife.

"Krayvin, don't ye dare keep her high-- that is to say, Lexy--from her morning bathing," she scolds him. "And Lexy, dear, the prince is down washing up in his old stream behind the castle a bit to yer left since the pipes for the baths in the castle no longer work. Ye can use princess Peony's stream near his a few feet away so ye can converse, if ye please. I laid out a few towels for ye and..."

The rest of her speech fades as I make my way thru the archway threatening to succumb to ashes and along the tall Kentucky grass covered in early morning dew which sparkles as the sun moves. Just ahead I spy a shadow figure behind a large white-and-gold-engraved screen no doubt covering "Prince Robin" as he takes his royal bath.

"Yo, Prince! How's your morning so far, highness?" I call out, a sly grin on my face.

"Lexy?" I hear quite a startled reaction before Chris's head pops from behind the thick curtain.

A grin suddenly covers his face as he calls out in turn, "Why, 'tis a great morn' indeed, fair lady Alexandra. And how goes your day?"

"Why, 'tis absolutely splendid, dear prince." And so we succumb to hearty laughs and childish giggles like the insolent schoolkids that we are.

"But seriously though," he says, now in his normal voice, "Can you even believe we're actually royalty from another world?"

I carefully make my way into the princess's stream but the water is so warm and takes me by surprise that I yelp like a fox before ignoring the nearly-boiling waters, far from the icy temperature I had expected, and jumping in.

"Careful, by the way," he says. "Cordelia charmed the waters so they're a bit hot."

"Now you tell me, you twit!" I accuse in anger. "Actually, no; I really don't get all of this royalty business," I reply, laying there, basking in the warm waters, completely content with a warm bath to start my day in a rather strange world.

"Well, a long long time ago, there lived a crown princess named Asteria, who was trapped in a tower and forced to control her ancient powers. Then one day-- "

"Chris, I know how the supposed story goes; I was actually _listening_ to Cordelia and not stuffing my mouth with fish like the clown that you are!" I begin to shed my dirty clothes which were completely filthy and covered in mud from the hike the previous day, outraged at the thought of having slept in such a mess.

"Hey! I was too paying attention!" he replies.

"It's just...how can we even trust those dwarvs. They might even be the ones who kidnapped Lishy in the first place!" **(A/N: Lishy, a.k.a., Alice)**

"Now Lex, you know for a fact that ain't true! You saw what the man that took her looked like; he was 7 feet tall for goodness sakes! Do you really think Krayvin can grow and shrink overnight?!"

He had me there. "Well...I don't know...I'm just not sure who to trust...And how do we even know their not conspiring against us? You heard Krayvin, he thinks we're spies? And how are we to know they're not just feeding us lies then planing on slitting our throats the moment we're not looking?" I whisper softly as I grab a rosy bar of soap no-doubt left by the small woman.

"Really, Lex? That the best you could come up with? First of all, Krayvin's a wacco! He only thought we were spies because he's been living here with Cordelia for centuries, taking care of old ruins, waiting for a prince who-knows-when would arrive, of course his mind would get mixed up! Imagine if you had to live with no civilization for centuries! And Cordelia didn't think we were spies!"

"That's besides the point--"

"Is it? And finally, even if they did plan on slitting our throats--though I doubt even a kind heart like Cordelia's would be able to--explain to me why they didn't do that last night, seeing as how we were completely unprotected and unsuspecting--deep in sleep, too!"

A silence befell me as I resume scrubbing with the soft smelling soap. How in the world am I supposed to reply to that?! In the end, all I can think of is, "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you have to apologize to," he replies.

"Later, when we finish. I have to ask them about a few other things too." I now scrub my dirty legs with the bubbly soap. _How on earth did we get this dirty yesterday?_

"Like what?"

"Well, like our powers, of course."

"I don't remember her telling me I had powers."

"Yours doesn't count; it's just ruling over a few people."

"A few?! _A_ _few?!_It's a whole effin' country!!!" I roll my eyes at his untimely outrage.

"Do you _see_ hundreds of people here?!" I ask. After a few moments of silence and a few quiet mumbles, I resume while dipping into the stream.

"Cordelia said that the first born of the royal wyches of Wyikha is blessed with the power of Foresight. And that the second born gets the power of Legilemency. And since me and Lishy are Crown Princess Asteria's great great great--goodness knows how many greats--grand-daughter, then..."

"You would read minds and Alice can tell the future!" he cries out, beating me to the chase.

"Exactly. And another thing; on our 14th birthday, I remember these strange voices that kept popping in my head, especially when I'm around people. And that was the only day that mom had forgotten to give me the tonic prescribed by our so-called doctor. Do you think she was trying to block out those voices from when I was born? And maybe the voices--"

"--were in your head because of your birthright gift of legilemency! Of course! Well, not about your mom trying to block them out--just about the voices. But why would she even try to prevent you from discovering your gift?" he wonders. "That doesn't even make any sense! Unless your dad forced her to, if he didn't want his children to be freaks-- No offense! Really, Lex, I don't think your a freak!"

"You practically just said it anyway. But...I don't know. I admit I have been hearing whispers in my mind no one else seems to hear when I forget to take the pills mom gave me for Thorton. She said it was because of my 'grief' --as she put it--that I was hearing these strange things in my mind. She said the pills were better because they last a month. Taking 365 spoonfuls of tonic every year was seriously too much! But then when I forgot to take the monthly pill, or just put it aside till later, I started hearing the whispers. At first they were faint. But...as it got longer that I didn't take what she called the 'stress-reducing pills' they became louder and so unbearable that I had to take the next pill to drown out it all before my brain explods with all the pressure banging at my skull. If that's what it feels like to read minds, then: No, thank you! I'm happy with the pills and spoonfuls of tonic--even if they do taste disgustingly nasty," I end as I lay deep in the warm waters, tired of the world.

Silence falls all around us and the only thing to be heard is the splashing of water and movement in warm waves.

"How long do you think we'll stay here?" asks a soft voiced Chris a while later.

"I don't know," I answer in the same hushed tone, finally getting up and drying myself with an unbelievably soft rose-colored towel.

"I mean, do you want to stay or would you rather leave as soon as we figure out how to get back?" he asks.

"...Well, I definitely don't want to leave without at least seeing Lishy first. But..."

"But what?"

"But...I don't know," I repeat helplessly.

"Lex, you head what Cordelia said last night, didn't you?" he asks,

"Of course I did; you were the one stuffing you face with fish!" By now, I am out of the stream, still behind the screen, and slipping into a light undergarment and a simple maroon dress with tight three-quarter sleeves, a tight bodice made of stretchy, dark material, all flowing out like a scarlet rose down at the skirt along with a dainty pair of black, silky slippers. I suspect the dress is one of Princess Zinnia's, for she was one of the oldest, being fourteen at the time of the battle here at Faerie--so it's a miracle the dress fits. I still cringe when I think of what Alice must have done.

_Who would have known that sweet innocent Alice would grow up to be a serial killer? And how could she have killed so many innocent people and tear so many beloved families apart?_

"Hey! Now, again, that's uncalled for!" Chris replies, a bit late to my previous insult. "Anyways, she said Alice helped that piksy king, Rambus, destroy Faerie. They wiped out my father, my mother, my other sisters and brothers, tore this castle to shreds, and killed who-knows how many other innocent citizens of Faerie! Do you really think she's the same Alice we knew in middle school? The older yet childish girl who was one of the most gentle, kindest people in our school? The one who couldn't even bear to hurt a fly? You heard what she's done, what she's helped destroy! Do you really think she'll welcome you with open arms? Lexy, look at me!"

By now, we have both finished dressing and are standing face to face on the grassy bank.

"I don't know," I answer once again, looking into his clear green eyes.

**

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**A/N: i know, i know, it's too short.**

**but don't worry, i've got a bit more up my sleeve for the next chapter.**

**I was gonna include the part when they finally meet Alice but I decided to cut it off and post this because i'm not done with the entire meeting with Alice and so won't be able to post the whole thing until much later cuz i'm busy with my Sisters Grimm fanfic.**

**Also, just to let you know, NO, i did not take this idea from Steph Meyers' Twilight saga. Yes, i have read them--don't know WHY i even spent 83$ on them--but i just realized 2day that Alice Cullen can tell the future and her bro Edward Cullen can read minds just like Lishy and Lexy. Seriously tho, the 3rd and 4th born in the wych line do NOT have the power 2 play with people's emotions or put a shield around people/stuff! No, sirre! Much more orriginal than the 1st and 2nd born.**

**Sorry for the shortness!**

**-Lyla =P**


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